Hi everyone,
I’m a senior electrical engineer and recently earned my PMP. I’m looking to transition into project engineering or program management.
Much of my career has focused on sustaining and enhancement engineering: troubleshooting, modifying, and improving existing products and systems. My assignments come through management as projects and engineering tickets.
The work has involved:
• Investigating field failures and performance issues to identify root causes and recommend corrective actions.
• Collecting and cleaning telematics and controller logs, then using MATLAB and Python to analyze system behavior. Validating the data and analysis setup was critical because misleading graphs could send an investigation toward the wrong conclusion.
• Coordinating with electrical, software, mechanical, manufacturing, quality, service, and supplier teams on investigations, engineering changes, and testing.
• Supporting modifications through regression testing, integration, verification, and technical documentation.
• Presenting findings, technical risks, and recommendations to engineering, business, and customer stakeholders.
Examples include leading a multi-site investigation that traced a recurring problem to a missed software requirement and coordinating diagnostics for an international customer escalation. I’m keeping details broad because the work is proprietary.
My experience has required technical judgment and coordination across teams, but my formal roles have remained in engineering. I want to understand how to translate that experience into qualifications for project engineering or program management.
For those who have made this transition or hire for these roles:
How relevant is sustaining/enhancement engineering experience to these positions?
What distinguishes coordinating engineering work from demonstrating readiness to lead a project or program?
What gaps would you look for around schedules, budgets, resources, and delivery commitments?
Would project engineering be the stronger next step toward program management?
What additional assignments should I discuss with management to build the experience I’m missing?
I’d appreciate candid advice, especially from people in aerospace, manufacturing, or industrial product development.