Architectural and Engineering Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as architecture and engineering or research and development in these fields.
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Mathematics
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
Key knowledge
- Design
- Engineering and Technology
- Mathematics
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mechanical
- Computers and Electronics
What the work involves
- Confer with management, production, or marketing staff to discuss project specifications or procedures.
- Present and explain proposals, reports, or findings to clients.
- Consult or negotiate with clients to prepare project specifications.
- Develop or implement programs to improve sustainability or reduce the environmental impacts of engineering or architecture activities or operations.
- Evaluate the environmental impacts of engineering, architecture, or research and development activities.
- Manage the coordination and overall integration of technical activities in architecture or engineering projects.
- Direct, review, or approve project design changes.
- Prepare budgets, bids, or contracts.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Enterprising, Investigative, Conventional.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Bachelor's Degree (45.5% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 10 years (36.1%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (23%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Architectural and Engineering Managers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | High | Higher on contact with others than 62% of occupations compared | 64% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Very high | Higher on dealing with the public than 80% of occupations compared | 52% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Teamwork | Very high | Higher on teamwork than 97% of occupations compared | 89% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very high | Higher on freedom to make decisions than 83% of occupations compared | 53% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Moderate | Lower on time pressure than 55% of occupations compared | 55% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Conflict situations | High | Higher on conflict situations than 78% of occupations compared | 61% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 61% of occupations compared | 58% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Consequence of error | Low | Lower on consequence of error than 72% of occupations compared | 71% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: moderate
- Conflict situations: high
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: low
- Consequence of error: low
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 0%
- Contact with others about half the time: 9.06%
- Contact with others most of the time: 27.43%
- Constant contact with others: 63.52%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2020
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 3.2%
- Fairly important: 3.64%
- Important: 13.74%
- Very important: 27.64%
- Extremely important: 51.78%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2020
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 0%
- Important: 1.6%
- Very important: 9.06%
- Extremely important: 89.35%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2020
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 0%
- Limited freedom: 0%
- Some freedom: 47.04%
- A lot of freedom: 52.96%
n = 19, Incumbent 08/2020
Time pressure
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 0.79%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 31.99%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 54.92%
- Every day: 12.29%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2020
Conflict situations
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 5.08%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 61.22%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 33.71%
- Every day: 0%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2020
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 1.6%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 57.83%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 19.69%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 20.89%
- Every day: 0%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2020
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 2.41%
- Fairly serious: 71.44%
- Serious: 9.43%
- Very serious: 5.57%
- Extremely serious: 11.15%
n = 19, Incumbent 08/2020
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O*NET-SOC 11-9041.00 · SOC 11-9041 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8