Architectural and Engineering Managers: Career Overview
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as architecture and engineering or research and development in these fields.
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What Do Architectural and Engineering Managers Do?
Typical responsibilities of architectural and engineering managers span:
- Manage the coordination and overall integration of technical activities in architecture or engineering projects.
- Direct, review, or approve project design changes.
- Consult or negotiate with clients to prepare project specifications.
- Prepare budgets, bids, or contracts.
- Present and explain proposals, reports, or findings to clients.
- Confer with management, production, or marketing staff to discuss project specifications or procedures.
- Assess project feasibility by analyzing technology, resource needs, or market demand.
- Review, recommend, or approve contracts or cost estimates.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Effective architectural and engineering managers draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
These are the skills most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Architect Manager
- Architectural Project Manager
- Civil Engineering Manager
- Civil Project Manager (Civil PM)
- Data Engineering Director
- Data Engineering Manager
- Electrical Engineering Director
- Electrical Engineering Manager
Job Outlook
There are about 189,973 architectural and engineering managers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +9.0% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Architectural and Engineering Managers Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $101,277 |
| Hourly median | $48.69 |
| 10th percentile | $69,051 |
| 25th percentile | $85,164 |
| 75th percentile | $117,389 |
| 90th percentile | $133,502 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Architectural and Engineering Managers Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| New Mexico | $215,730 |
| California | $201,810 |
| Washington | $181,080 |
| Massachusetts | $178,800 |
| District of Columbia | $176,950 |
| Colorado | $176,610 |
| New Jersey | $174,230 |
| Delaware | $173,910 |
| New York | $173,530 |
| Arizona | $172,680 |
| Connecticut | $171,770 |
| New Hampshire | $171,630 |
| Texas | $170,650 |
| Rhode Island | $170,410 |
| Virginia | $168,780 |
| Minnesota | $168,220 |
| Louisiana | $167,840 |
| Florida | $167,680 |
| Maryland | $167,500 |
| Oregon | $166,860 |
| South Carolina | $163,790 |
| North Carolina | $163,430 |
| Michigan | $163,000 |
| Ohio | $159,940 |
| Georgia | $158,920 |
| Vermont | $158,030 |
| Alabama | $157,520 |
| Illinois | $157,480 |
| Idaho | $157,360 |
| Pennsylvania | $154,400 |
| Tennessee | $153,920 |
| Missouri | $153,670 |
| Nevada | $153,340 |
| Oklahoma | $153,130 |
| South Dakota | $152,540 |
| Alaska | $152,290 |
| Utah | $149,990 |
| Hawaii | $148,620 |
| Kansas | $147,020 |
| Indiana | $144,880 |
| West Virginia | $143,800 |
| Wyoming | $141,990 |
| North Dakota | $140,560 |
| Maine | $140,430 |
| Wisconsin | $138,710 |
| Iowa | $137,870 |
| Mississippi | $136,010 |
| Kentucky | $134,880 |
| Nebraska | $134,090 |
| Arkansas | $132,660 |
| Montana | $128,680 |
| Puerto Rico | $115,280 |
| Guam | $96,530 |
Where Architectural and Engineering Managers Earn the Most
Compensation for architectural and engineering managers vary by region. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $194,967 | 19.8% | 1.25 |
| New England | $173,433 | 8.3% | 1.78 |
| Southwest | $172,787 | 13.2% | 1.00 |
| Middle Atlantic | $166,584 | 13.9% | 0.99 |
| Rocky Mountains | $162,998 | 4.1% | 1.01 |
| Southeast | $160,313 | 18.3% | 0.75 |
| Great Lakes | $155,355 | 16.2% | 1.64 |
| Plains States | $153,036 | 5.7% | 0.86 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $226,940 | 5,270 |
| Midland, TX | TX | $209,970 | 220 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $208,580 | 6,380 |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | NH | $202,290 | 930 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | CA | $200,820 | 200 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | CA | $196,810 | 330 |
| Naples-Marco Island, FL | FL | $196,520 | 90 |
| Boulder, CO | CO | $195,790 | 650 |
Top Industries Employing Architectural and Engineering Managers
The bulk of architectural and engineering managers work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 77,010 | $169,210 |
| Manufacturing | 73,820 | $166,850 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 11,580 | $173,200 |
| Wholesale Trade | 8,030 | $167,760 |
| Utilities | 4,690 | $165,300 |
| Construction | 4,050 | $153,510 |
| Information | 3,470 | $204,010 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 2,320 | $169,200 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Tech Stack
- Data base management system software: Amazon DynamoDB (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2 (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Amazon Redshift (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Amazon Web Services AWS software (hot technology)
- Expert system software: Ansible software (hot technology)
- Data base management system software: Apache Cassandra (hot technology)
- Data base management system software: Apache Hadoop (hot technology)
- Data base management system software: Apache Hive (hot technology)
- Development environment software: Apache Kafka (hot technology)
- Development environment software: Apache Maven (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Apple macOS (hot technology)
- Project management software: Atlassian Confluence (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
The work environment for architectural and engineering managers tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Contact With Others
How to Become Architectural and Engineering Managers
Entry-level architectural and engineering managers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Construction Managers (Supplemental)
- Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers (Primary-Long)
- Natural Sciences Managers (Primary-Long)
- Logistics Engineers (Primary-Short)
- Project Management Specialists (Primary-Short)
- Civil Engineers (Supplemental)
- Electrical Engineers (Primary-Short)
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer (Primary-Long)
Where to Study
Future architectural and engineering managers often complete programs in:
Engineering
57 programs across 40 majors
- Mechanical Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- General Engineering
- Aeronautical Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Systems Engineering
- Other Engineering
- Materials Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Robotics Engineering
- Construction Engineering
- Engineering Science
- Architectural Engineering
- Agricultural Engineering
- Engineering Physics
- Nuclear Engineering
- Manufacturing Engineering
- Petroleum Engineering
- Biological Engineering
- Marine Engineering
- Geoscience Engineering
- Mining Engineering
- Ocean Engineering
- Textile Engineering
- Polymer & Plastics Engineering
- Engineering Mechanics
- Metallurgical Engineering
- Energy Systems Engineering
- Biochemical Engineering
- Surveying Engineering
- Ceramic Engineering
- Electromechanical Engineering
- Forest Engineering
- Paper Science & Engineering
- Engineering Chemistry
Architecture and Related Services
8 programs across 6 majors
- Architectural Sciences
- General Architecture
- Urban & Regional Planning
- Landscape Architecture
- Interior Architecture
- Environmental Design
Engineering Technologies and Engineering-Related Fields
3 programs across 1 majors
Physical Sciences
1 programs across 1 majors
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
1 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 11-9041.00 (Architectural and Engineering Managers).