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Senior Engineering Manager Jobs in Houston, TX (NOW HIRING)

Senior Engineering Manager

Houston, TX · On-site

$140 - $210/hr

The Sr. Engineering Manager leads Current Power's engineering function and is accountable for the people, technical quality, capacity, and execution of project engineering and mechanical design.

The Sr. Engineering Manager leads Current Power's engineering function and is accountable for the people, technical quality, capacity, and execution of project engineering and mechanical design.

Senior Nuclear Engineering Manager This is a technical and business development position within the Power Business Unit of Hatch. It provides an opportunity for professional growth to the selected ...

Senior Nuclear Engineering Manager This is a technical and business development position within the Power Business Unit of Hatch. It provides an opportunity for professional growth to the selected ...

Senior Nuclear Engineering Manager This is a technical and business development position within the Power Business Unit of Hatch. It provides an opportunity for professional growth to the selected ...

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Senior Engineering Manager information

See Houston, TX salary details

$60.6K

$130K

$189.1K

How much do senior engineering manager jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 25, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior engineering manager in Houston, TX is $130,016.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $108,400.00 and $155,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a senior engineering manager?

A Senior Engineering Manager is a seasoned leader responsible for overseeing multiple engineering teams or large projects within an organization. They manage engineering managers or team leads, set technical direction, and ensure alignment with business goals. Their duties include mentoring staff, driving process improvements, managing budgets, and collaborating with other departments. Senior Engineering Managers play a key role in hiring, performance evaluations, and fostering a productive engineering culture. They typically have extensive industry experience and strong leadership skills.

What is a senior engineering manager?

Senior engineering managers oversee the project team to ensure each phase is completed accurately, on time, and within budget. They coordinate with the company’s marketing and sales departments to determine what products or services are offered to clients and then develop those offerings to specifications. As a senior engineering manager, you may also need to troubleshoot equipment or software. To become a senior engineering manager, you need a certificate or degree in computer science or a related field, several years of working in software development, and management experience.

How does a senior engineering manager typically balance technical leadership with people management responsibilities?

A Senior Engineering Manager often splits their time between guiding technical strategy and supporting their team’s professional development. This involves overseeing complex engineering projects, setting clear technical direction, and ensuring best practices are followed, while also mentoring engineers, conducting performance reviews, and fostering a collaborative team culture. Balancing these areas requires strong delegation, prioritization, and communication skills, as well as regularly collaborating with other departments like Product and Design to align goals. Most organizations expect Senior Engineering Managers to actively contribute to both technical and people-focused initiatives, which can be challenging but is essential for team and project success.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a senior engineering manager, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Senior Engineering Manager, you need a robust background in engineering principles, leadership experience, and a relevant degree, often complemented by prior management roles. Familiarity with project management tools (such as Jira or Asana), software development methodologies (like Agile), and technical certifications can be highly beneficial. Exceptional communication, conflict resolution, and mentoring skills set top performers apart in this role. These skills are vital for effectively guiding teams, delivering projects on time, and fostering an innovative and collaborative engineering environment.

What is the difference between Senior Engineering Manager vs Engineering Director?

AspectSenior Engineering ManagerEngineering Director
ResponsibilitiesOversees multiple engineering teams, manages project delivery, and mentors managersSets strategic direction, manages multiple departments, and aligns engineering goals with company objectives
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Engineering or related field, 8+ years experience, leadership skillsSimilar credentials, often with 10+ years experience, strategic planning skills
Work EnvironmentHands-on team management within engineering teamsHigh-level strategic planning, cross-department coordination
Industry UsageCommon in tech companies, startups, and large enterprisesTypically found in larger organizations with complex structures

While both roles require strong technical backgrounds and leadership skills, Senior Engineering Managers focus more on team management and project execution, whereas Engineering Directors are responsible for strategic planning and organizational alignment across multiple teams.

What are popular job titles related to Senior Engineering Manager jobs in Houston, TX?

For Senior Engineering Manager jobs in Houston, TX, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Senior Engineering Manager jobs in Houston, TX look for?

The top searched job categories for Senior Engineering Manager jobs in Houston, TX are:

What cities near Houston, TX are hiring for Senior Engineering Manager jobs?

Cities near Houston, TX with the most Senior Engineering Manager job openings:

Infographic showing various Senior Engineering Manager job openings in Houston, TX as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 95% Full Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 92% In-person, 3% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $130,016 per year, or $62.5 per hour.

Senior Engineering Manager

Patterson-UTI

Houston, TX • On-site

$140 - $210/hr

Other

Posted 5 days ago


Patterson-UTI rating

5.0

Company rating: 5.0 out of 10

Based on 23 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

82nd of 87 rated oil and gas companies


Job description

The Sr. Engineering Manager leads Current Power's engineering function and is accountable for the people, technical quality, capacity, and execution of project engineering and mechanical design. Reporting to the Vice President - Operations, this role directs the Sr. Mechanical Design Engineer and the Project Engineering team and ensures complex engineered-to-order electrical power, control, and electro-mechanical systems are delivered safely, accurately, and profitably from contract review through commissioning and closeout. The Engineering Manager combines functional leadership, portfolio oversight, and hands‑on technical judgment while partnering with Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, Quality, customers, and suppliers to achieve scope, schedule, cost, quality, and performance commitments.

The Sr. Engineering Manager is a senior department leader responsible for engineering performance across multiple concurrent projects and disciplines. Employees in this position set departmental priorities, allocate resources, develop engineering talent, establish standards, approve critical technical decisions and releases, and serve as the escalation point for customer, project, and execution risks. Success requires balancing immediate delivery needs with long‑term capability building, standardization, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities
  • Lead, coach, and develop the Sr. Mechanical Design Engineer and Project Engineering team, including work assignments, goal setting, feedback, performance management, succession planning, and career development.
  • Translate business and project priorities into an engineering resource and capacity plan; balance workloads across active projects and identify hiring, training, or outside support needs.
  • Own engineering execution across the full project lifecycle, including proposal support, contract review, design, procurement coordination, fabrication support, Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), commissioning, and closeout.
  • Establish and monitor engineering plans, budgets, labor‑hour forecasts, schedules, deliverables, and review milestones; take corrective action when cost, quality, scope, or schedule performance is at risk.
  • Ensure engineering work complies with contractual requirements, customer specifications, applicable codes and standards, safety expectations, and company procedures.
  • Review and approve critical engineering deliverables, including one‑line diagrams, schematics, calculations, equipment selections, 3D models, fabrication drawings, bills of material, test plans, and release packages.
  • Serve as the technical authority and escalation point for low‑ and medium‑voltage power distribution, switchgear, motor control centers, AC/DC drives, control systems, enclosures, skids, and integrated electro‑mechanical equipment.
  • Lead formal design reviews, technical risk assessments, engineering change management, management of change (MOC), root‑cause investigations, and lessons‑learned activities.
  • Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, and Quality to improve manufacturability, material readiness, supplier alignment, assembly efficiency, test quality, and field serviceability.
  • Support Sales and customer‑facing activities through scope definition, technical estimates, proposal reviews, contract clarifications, change‑order support, and presentation of technical solutions.
  • Establish and maintain engineering standards and systems, including CAD/PDM practices, document and revision control, part‑numbering and bill‑of‑material governance, templates, calculations, and workflow controls.
  • Establish and report engineering performance indicators for schedule adherence, labor‑hour performance, quality, rework, capacity, and project outcomes; communicate status, decisions, and risks to leadership and stakeholders.
  • Recruit, onboard, train, and cross‑train engineering personnel while promoting a safe, inclusive, accountable, and collaborative team culture.
  • Support FATs, commissioning, field investigations, warranty issues, and customer problem resolution as required.
  • Perform other related duties as assigned.
  • Demonstrated ability in the following leadership competencies:
  • Builds and Maintains Effective Relationships
  • Develops Self and Others
  • Builds Effective Teams
  • Courageous Leadership
  • Managing Vision and Purpose
  • Business Acumen
  • Drive for Results
  • Customer Focus
  • Decision Quality
Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or another related engineering discipline from an accredited college or university.
  • Minimum of ten (10) years of progressive engineering experience in industrial electrical power and control systems, engineered‑to‑order manufacturing, system integration, or a related energy or manufacturing environment.
  • At least four (4) years of direct people leadership experience managing engineers or designers, including assigning work, coaching employees, developing talent, and managing performance.
  • Demonstrated experience leading multi‑disciplinary engineering execution across multiple concurrent projects from contract review through manufacturing, testing, commissioning, and closeout.
  • Strong working knowledge of low‑and medium‑voltage power distribution, switchgear, motor control centers, AC/DC drives, control systems, and electro‑mechanical equipment integration.
  • Proven ability to review and approve complex electrical and mechanical engineering deliverables and make sound technical decisions with incomplete or changing information.
  • Demonstrated ownership of engineering budgets, labor hours, schedules, resource plans, technical risk, and project financial performance.
  • Working knowledge of applicable industrial codes and standards, including NEC, NFPA, IEEE, NEMA, and UL requirements.
  • Strong leadership, business judgment, customer‑facing communication, conflict‑resolution, and stakeholder‑management skills.
  • Proficiency with engineering document‑control systems, ERP and project‑management tools, and Microsoft Office applications.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Twelve (12) or more years of engineering and project‑execution experience, including five (5) or more years in an engineering management role.
  • Professional Engineer (PE) license, Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, master's degree in engineering, or Master of Business Administration (MBA).
  • Experience with engineered‑to‑order switchgear, drives, motor control centers, power‑conversion systems, control packages, or related equipment for industrial, drilling, marine, data‑center, or energy applications.
  • Experience building or scaling engineering teams, standardizing engineering processes, and improving execution within a manufacturing or fabrication environment.
  • Working experience with AutoCAD Electrical, 3D CAD, PDM/PLM systems, and SAP or a similar ERP platform.
  • Experience supporting proposals, contract reviews, customer negotiations, supplier technical evaluations, and change‑order management.
Physical & Working Conditions
  • Work primarily in an office environment with regular interaction in engineering, shop, fabrication, and testing areas.
  • Ability to walk, stand, climb stairs, and inspect equipment while wearing required personal protective equipment (PPE).
  • Occasional exposure to shop or field conditions, including noise, dust, weather, moving equipment, and energized‑system hazards controlled through established procedures.
  • Occasional travel, extended work hours, weekends, or off‑hours support may be required to meet project and customer needs.
Reporting Structure

This position reports directly to the Vice President - Operations. The Sr. Mechanical Design Engineer and the Project Engineering team, including the Senior Electrical Project Engineer and Project Engineers, report directly to this position. The Mechanical Design team reports through the Sr. Mechanical Design Engineer.

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