Design Engineer Job Description & Roles and Responsibilities

A design engineer is a professional who converts conceptual ideas into real-life designs. A design engineer specialises in creating and developing products and systems for various industries like mechanical, electrical, or civil. The design engineer plays a vital role in product development lifestyle and oversees prototyping, testing, and production apart from just designing.

What is the job description of a Design Engineer?

The job of design engineers revolves around turning ideas into practical solutions. Design engineers work with different teams of engineers, product managers, and specialists to ensure that the end output meets the requirements of the organisation as well as the customers. They oversee the production of the system, functionality, performance, and cost-effectiveness.

Design engineers use their technical, creative, and problem-solving skills to develop an innovative product. They use various tools and technologies like design softwares, and prototyping techniques, to design and test their ideas. They adhere to project timelines, budgets, and quality standards to deliver successful outcomes within scope.

What are the roles of a Design Engineer?

The roles and responsibilities of a design engineer range from conceptualising and designing to the documentation of the final output. A design engineer is responsible for managing the cost of production and overseeing the production process. He or she must also do research and analysis to find the best development method. Here is a list of some major roles and responsibilities of a design engineer:

• Cost Management: Design engineers are responsible for controlling costs and overseeing expenditures during the design and production process. Design engineers balance the performance requirements of manufacturing and material costs to ensure that the final output is economically feasible along with its functionality.
• Testing and Prototyping: Design engineers are supposed to build innovative and exceptional designs and their prototypes for testing. Making prototypes helps in analysing the design in various aspects and dimensions to calculate its functionality and performance. It also helps the design engineer to explore various ideas before finalising any one design.
• Documentation: A design engineer is responsible for creating detailed documents relating to the design. This helps in keeping a record of design development throughout the project lifecycle. This includes design information and specifications, tests and reports, user manuals and guides.
• Design development: Design engineers brainstorm and conceptualise ideas for new products or improvements to existing ones. They need to come up with innovative solutions and ideas. This is followed by working on developing design using various softwares considering elements like cost, functionality, and manufacturability.

What is the career progression of a Design Engineer?

The career of a design engineer begins with primary entry-level roles like interns and assistants and leads to advanced positions like a Lead Design Manager. This upgrade depends on factors like skills, experience, projects handled, industry, and size of operations. Here is a list of some roles and positions in the career of a design engineer:

• Entry-level Designers: An entry-level designer is usually responsible for working under the supervision of experienced or senior designers. An entry-level designer gains experience by working on projects and different designing softwares. The role of an entry-level designer helps to gain knowledge about CAD softwares, design tools, and industry standards.
• Design Engineer: Entry-level Designers are promoted to the position of design engineer after they gain relevant experience and skills. A engineer designs, develops, tests, and analyses the designs of products and ensures that they meet the company requirements. He or she may also lead small projects and teams.
• Senior Design Engineer: Senior design engineers are professionals who gain great expertise in the field of design and leadership. They are responsible for guiding and mentoring junior engineers and overseeing large projects or multiple design teams. They solve complex challenges through their excellent design skills and provide technical guidance to the team.
• Lead Design Engineer: Lead design engineer is the highest position in the career path of a design engineer. A lead design engineer is responsible for tasks like strategy planning, decision-making, and project management. He or she is responsible for overseeing the performance of the entire department.

You may also check - Top Engineering Design Colleges in India

What are the qualifications of a Design Engineer?

A candidate planning to pursue a career as a design engineer must complete 10+2 in the science field from a recognised board of education. This is followed by opting for graduation and master’s or job. We have mentioned below how to become a Design engineer, the Design Engineer entrance examination, Design Engineer bachelor’s degree and Design Engineer master’s degree.

Entrance Examinations:

• JEE Main

• JEE Advanced

• BIT SAT

• VITEEE

• KIITEE

• SRMJEE

Bachelor’s Degree Programmes

• B.Des

• B.Sc. in Design

• B.Des in Industrial Design

• B.Tech in Computer Science and Design

Master’s Degree Programmes

• M.Des (Master of Design)

• M.Sc. in Design

• M.Tech in Computer Science and Design

• M.Des in Industrial Design

What are the skills of a Design Engineer?

A design engineer must have a variety of skills and qualities to excel in the industry. A design engineer is expected to possess both soft and hard skills. These skills include problem-solving, creative thinking, analysing, and attention to detail. Some of the major skills and traits that are required for design engineers are mentioned below.

• Problem-solving
• Communication
• Information technology
• Attention to detail
• Creative thinking
• Teamwork
• Modular thinking

Who are the top recruiters of a Design Engineer?

Top recruiters of design engineers include firms like design consultancy firms, defence organisations, construction companies, biomedical companies, and even customer goods manufacturers. Recruitment is done considering factors like the experience of the design engineer, skills possessed, and the location of the organisation. Here is a list of some top recruiters of design engineers:

• Texas Instruments
• HCL
• Synopsys
• Qualcomm
• TCS
• Larsen & Toubro

Salary of a Design Engineer?

The salary of a design engineer is based on factors like skills, experience, knowledge, size of operations, and location of company. The salary of a design engineer in India falls under the range of Rs. 1.2 Lakhs to Rs. 8 Lakhs with an average annual salary of Rs. 5 Lakhs. Here is a list of salaries paid by the top recruiters in India:

Source: Glassdoor, AmbitionBox

Conclusion

A design engineer is a professional who creates innovative designs using creative ideas. A design engineer is expected to have a blend of skills like creativity, technical skills, and problem-solving ability with the help of their designs. He or she pursues education in relevant fields like engineering and other certification courses to succeed in the career. A design engineer has multiple career opportunities in a variety of industries, starting from product design to automobile to fashion.