The position of manufacturing engineer requires creative, analytical and developmental thinking as well as high qualifications and experience in the chosen field of manufacturing. There is a wide choice of product manufacturing sectors, including oil and gas, transport, heavy industry and other machinery. Designing, planning, documenting, implementing, optimising, testing and supervising the manufacturing process and the key requirements of the job. The manufacturing engineer is totally involved all stages of the product
An essential qualification is the ability to communicate with workers involved in all stages of manufacture, both verbally and in writing. Enthusiasm, cooperation and a positive outlook as well as a thorough understanding of the technology and manufacturing concepts involved is important, as is the ability to prioritise
A bachelor’s degree in engineering design and manufacturing from an accredited source, together with relevant experience in the field, are basic employer requirements, with a master’s degree a distinct advantage
Prospects for advancement in this job are good, with salaries up to and over £38,000 according to location and sector.

• Understanding technical and mechanical information
• Being a good project manager
• Being an effective leader
• Using your own initiative and collaborating on team projects
• Managing budgets and schedules
• Being computer savvy
• Being innovative and creative
• Understanding numerical information
• Writing reports
• Being a good listener
• Having strong technical skills
• Managing stress
• Resolving problems effectively
• Being open minded, positive and amicable

Engineering professionals often pursue any number of career relevant programs. Some professionals start with a Bachelors Degree, then continuing towards their Masters Degree. This is a smart move, because more and more employers prefer their engineers to be educated at an advanced level. To move into a Manufacturing Engineer position you can study any of the following programs:

•    Manufacturing Engineering
•    Mechanical Engineering
•    Electrical or Electronic Engineering
•    Chemical Engineering

There are also several other certifications, registrations and licenses an Engineer can get. They are:

•    Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or Chartered Engineer (Ceng)
•    Accredited Bachelors or Honours Degrees
•    Higher National Certificate or Diploma
•    NVQ4 or SVQ4
•    BTEC diplomas

If you plan on pursuing a chartered manufacturing engineer position you must have the relevant job experience and a Masters Degree in Engineering. To become more informed on what’s happening in the Engineering sector, you can check with the Engineering Council, the British Computer Society (BCS), the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) or the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Having excellent technical and innovative thinking and skills is necessary to work in the Manufacturing Engineering profession.