jobfacts

Engineering project managers and project engineers

SOC 2020 2127

Engineering project managers and project engineers schedule, manage and oversee engineering projects for quality of work, timeliness and completion within budget, plan, design and specify materials and equipment for the project and create necessary technical drawings.

Also calledContract managerProjects engineerProject leaderProject engineerProject managerProject engineering managerand 19 more titles
Typical full-time pay£53,1002025 Provisional
People in the job80,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month1,400↑ 8.1%on last year · 146th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time engineering project managers and project engineers earn between £43,200 and £67,500 a year.

What full-time engineering project managers and project engineers earn, 2025
£53,100 typical£35,700lowest 10%£43,20025%£70,600top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£43,200–£67,500)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£35,700
Lowest 20% earn less than£41,000
25%£43,200
Median£53,100
75%£67,500
Top 20% earn more than£70,600
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £53,100
East Midlands!£58,300
North West!£55,800
East of England!£52,700
West Midlands!£52,600
South East!£51,400
Yorkshire and The Humber!£49,800
South West!£49,000
Wales!£46,600
North EastNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £53,100
East Midlands£58,300 (small sample)
North West£55,800 (small sample)
East of England£52,700 (small sample)
West Midlands£52,600 (small sample)
South East£51,400 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£49,800 (small sample)
South West£49,000 (small sample)
Wales£46,600 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £48,900
  • 2024 £51,900
  • 2025 Provisional£53,100
↑ 8.6% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,400 jobs for engineering project managers and project engineers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (3 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,644
Jul 20261,320
Jun 20261,394
May 20261,403
Apr 20261,346
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,224
Jan 20261,485
Dec 2025834
Nov 20251,493
Oct 20251,520
Sept 20251,414
Aug 20251,263
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 20251,618
Apr 20251,339
Mar 20251,433
Feb 20251,494
Jan 20251,292
Dec 2024838
Nov 20241,049
Oct 20241,174
Sept 20241,371
Aug 20241,290
Jul 20241,340
Jun 20241,314
May 20241,515
Apr 20241,510
Mar 20241,452
Feb 20241,372
Jan 20241,863
Dec 20231,459
Nov 20231,452
Oct 20231,430
Sept 20231,415
Aug 20231,566
Jul 20231,623
Jun 20232,330
May 20232,042
Apr 20231,717
Mar 20232,140
Feb 20232,330
Jan 20232,471
Dec 20222,036
Nov 20222,343
Oct 20222,457
Sept 20222,122
Aug 20222,334
Jul 20222,249
Jun 20222,253
May 20222,575
Apr 20221,946
Mar 20222,606
Feb 20221,999
Jan 20222,258
Dec 20211,951
Nov 20211,865
Oct 20211,925
Sept 20211,781
Aug 20211,727
Jul 20212,169
Jun 20211,868
May 20212,193
Apr 20212,043
Mar 20212,311
Feb 20211,405
Jan 20211,545
Dec 20201,220
Nov 20201,211
Oct 20201,255
Sept 20201,112
Aug 20201,062
Jul 20201,047
Jun 20201,075
May 2020961
Apr 20201,375
Mar 20201,924
Feb 20202,232
Jan 20201,973
Dec 20191,437
Nov 20191,740
Oct 20191,834
Sept 20191,758
Aug 20191,834
Jul 20192,619
Jun 20192,637
May 20192,313
Apr 20191,455
Mar 20191,760
Feb 20191,681
Jan 20192,036
Dec 20181,281
Nov 20181,482
Oct 20181,622
Sept 20181,613
Aug 20181,692
Jul 20181,756
Jun 20181,750
May 20181,850
Apr 20181,764
Mar 20181,761
Feb 20181,778
Jan 20182,199
Dec 20171,680
Nov 20172,049
Oct 20171,873
Sept 20171,736
Aug 20171,876
Jul 20171,772
Jun 20172,249
May 20172,446
Apr 20172,216
Mar 20172,413
Feb 20172,251
Jan 20172,747
Is there a shortage of engineering project managers and project engineers?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedWell above usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
50%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for engineering professionals, which includes engineering project managers and project engineers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London506
Birmingham120
Bristol, City of119
Manchester115
Glasgow City104
Leeds64
Aberdeen City55
City of Edinburgh51
Nottingham51
Somerset49
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where engineering project managers and project engineers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 716 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from India, France, Italy, ranking it 23rd of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of engineering project managers and project engineers
3.7%!
37%!
24%
21%!
10%!
4%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–243.7% (small sample)
25–3437% (small sample)
35–4424%
45–5421% (small sample)
55–6410% (small sample)
65+4% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent76%
Higher education below degree!8.3%
A levels or equivalent12%
GCSEs or equivalent!3.2%
Other qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent76%
Higher education below degree8.3% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent12%
GCSEs or equivalent3.2% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published

Main employers: engineering activities and related technical consultancy (15%), computer consultancy activities (5.5%), construction of other civil engineering projects nec (4.9%), manufacture of air and spacecraft and related machinery (4.3%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
76%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
1
from level 6
Apprenticeships take
4 years
typically

Apprenticeships

1 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • draws up budgets and timescales for new engineering projects based on clients’ requirements
  • briefs project team, contractors and suppliers
  • assembles information for invoicing at the end of projects
  • plans work schedules for engineering projects based on prior discussion with client and contractors
  • regularly inspects and monitors progress and quality of work, ensures legal requirements are met
  • identifies defects in work and proposes corrections
  • records, monitors and reports progress
  • ensures that equipment, operation and maintenance comply with design specifications and safety standards

Skills

  • adjust engineering designs
  • perform scientific research
  • approve engineering design
  • analyse test data
  • use technical drawing software
  • draft design specifications
  • record test data
  • design prototypes
  • follow nuclear plant safety precautions
  • monitor nuclear power plant systems
  • perform laboratory tests
  • perform project management
  • use CAD software
  • assess financial viability

Knowledge

  • engineering principles
  • engineering processes
  • design principles
  • quality standards
  • mechanical engineering
  • physics
  • project management
  • technical drawings

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Working with ideas and solving problems

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for science, research, engineering and technology professionals, a group of 28 jobs that includes engineering project managers and project engineers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 18%about 394,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.