Becoming an engineer can be a lucrative career, with manufacturing engineers making an average yearly salary of $97,310 in 2025. The industry continues to grow, with an expected 195,000 job openings each year.
As you enter the job market for manufacturing engineering, focusing on workforce development is essential. It helps you be more successful and productive in the workplace, giving you the tools you need to grow your skills.
By building skills and strategies that reflect evolving workplace expectations, manufacturing engineers can better position themselves for long-term success.
What Are Soft and Hard Skills?
You can have the best resume out there, complete with great job experience and education, but still not land the job of your dreams. If you have the qualifications, why aren't you getting hired?
Technical skills, or hard skills, are job-specific tasks that you are expected to be well-versed in. Some hard skills for manufacturing engineering include:
- Core Technical Skills
- Manufacturing Process Knowledge
- Data and Software Proficiency
- Materials and Tooling
This technical knowledge is important to becoming a successful engineer. However, soft skills are equally as important to technical detail and knowledge. Soft skills are the interpersonal and communication abilities that help you work effectively with others and navigate the workplace. They're just as critical as hard skills when carrying out your day-to-day tasks.
Unfortunately, soft skills often aren't taught in college or other educational institutions. Knowing what soft skills are is important before you head out to do engineering work. While technical expertise is vital, pairing it with emotional intelligence, adaptability and teamwork is what makes you successful in any workplace.
Communication
Communication is key to success in any job. As a manufacturing engineer, you'll need to know how to communicate your ideas concisely and clearly to your fellow engineers.
In addition to communicating with other engineers, you'll have to work with people in non-technical functions. Interpersonal skills allow you to break down potentially complicated project ideas in simple terms.
Some examples of soft skills needed for communication are:
- Active listening
- Presentation and public speaking
- Negotiation
- Non-verbal and verbal communication
- Patience
- Diplomacy
- Problem-solving
All of these qualities are important when dealing with fellow coworkers and clients. Misunderstandings can happen, especially when talking about technical details. Having strong listening skills helps ensure nothing gets lost in translation.
Leadership
Leadership encompasses many different skills. As a leader, you should be someone that other people look to for mentorship, guidance, and structure. Taking workplace challenges head-on and building trust with your team are key aspects of this role.
Even if you're not in a formal leadership or management position yet, developing leadership skills now will prepare you to step confidently into a more senior role when the opportunity arises.
One important aspect of leadership is learning how to delegate effectively. Assigning tasks appropriately not only keeps projects on track but also empowers your team members to develop their own skills and take ownership.
Another way to improve your leadership skills is by making well-thought-out decisions under pressure. Finding solutions for unexpected problems while not getting overwhelmed will give you practice in this area. In turn, you'll be able to foster loyalty and trust in those around you.
At Impact, we offer comprehensive training opportunities for leaders in the manufacturing industry. View our Supervisor Leader Standard Work Development program, or our Executive Leadership Development program.
Collaboration
As a manufacturing engineering manager, you'll need to collaborate with other teams on multiple engineering projects. You'll need to ensure everyone is on the same page so projects are completed successfully and efficiently. Effective collaboration fosters a more positive workplace culture, increases team morale, and often leads to more innovative problem-solving.
Understanding body language, being open to feedback, and learning how to engage in productive conflict resolution can help you defuse tension and guide your team toward consensus, even in high-pressure situations. Successful engineers know how to adapt their approach to suit different individuals and situations, even when they don’t naturally “mesh” with everyone on the team.
Mastering the art of collaboration will enable you to lead diverse teams with confidence and drive better outcomes in every stage of the manufacturing process.
Problem-Solving
Problem-solving is a core responsibility for any manufacturing engineering manager. On a day-to-day basis, you’ll encounter challenges that require both technical knowledge and practical thinking. Having a structured approach can make complex problems feel more manageable.
While collaboration and problem-solving often go hand in hand, they are distinct skills. Collaboration brings together different perspectives to uncover solutions, while problem-solving is about analyzing those perspectives and making informed decisions. A strong problem-solver knows how to listen, synthesize ideas, and apply logic to reach effective outcomes, especially when there isn’t a clear or easy answer.
Strong problem-solving skills will also build your confidence as a leader. When you’re able to stay calm, assess situations logically, and guide your team toward solutions, you create a more resilient and adaptable work environment.
Being Open to Feedback
Being open to both positive and constructive feedback is essential as a manufacturing engineer. Just as important is your ability to apply that feedback to improve your work. Employers often ask about your response to feedback during interviews to assess how well you handle criticism and adapt to change, which are key traits in a fast-paced environment.
Some soft skills that relate to being open to feedback include:
- Resilience
- Adaptability
- Flexibility
- Respectfulness
- Cooperation
- Emotion management
- Humility
Hearing tough feedback isn't easy but it's a part of every professional journey. The best way to respond to feedback is by staying professional and not taking it personally. It's just as important to receive feedback with openness as it is to develop the ability to give it constructively. Offering clear, respectful, and solution-oriented feedback helps build trust and encourages continuous improvement across the team.
Giving and receiving feedback are essential parts of any project’s success, so it’s important not to avoid them just because they feel uncomfortable. Constructive feedback, whether you’re offering it or receiving it, leads to better communication and performance.
Build the Soft Skills that Set You Apart
Workforce development is essential to ensuring you're a well-rounded candidate for any job you apply for. Career development will help you go further in the manufacturing engineering field. Successful manufacturing engineers don't just focus on their hard skills but on improving their soft ones as well.
Explore our training programs to sharpen your soft skills and give yourself a lasting edge in the workplace. Whether you're just starting out or looking to advance, the right training can accelerate your career growth.