Engineering Management or Individual Contributor?
In recent years Imperial Consulting has helped utilities engineers from a 8 different countries (Barbados, St Lucia, Jamaica, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, the Philippines and Mexico) to secure their dream overseas moves. Some have found their way into the C – Suite, while others have been adamant about only applying for specialist ‘IC’ (Individual Contributor) positions.
Both sides have their merits, and in this guidance note, we highlight the factors you should consider before deciding what side of the fence works best for you
In engineering management you are responsible for coordinating multiple moving parts towards a desired outcome. As a director of a public utility, these moving parts would include internal stakeholders such as your direct reports (usually senior engineers, senior project managers, health & safety manager); the board of directors and budgets. External stakeholders at that level would usually include your national/provincial Regulator, the relevant government ministry (usually the Energy/Infrastructure Ministry or equivalent), a multidisciplinary team of external contractors and customers to name but a few
If you are experienced in or (for those lacking the necessary experience) enthused about the prospect of co-ordinating these moving parts, then the engineering management pathway is the right path for you
As an individual contributor in a utilities engineering team, your focus will be on your particular ‘moving part’ – eg SCADA, Controls, Protection, Line Planning etc.
If you are more enthusiastic about the inner workings of your particular utilities engineering specialization vs dealing with the extra moving parts that come with people management, then it might be worth considering the Individual Contributor pathway
If you’re an electrical, mechanical or civil engineer trying to decide on which pathway is the best fit for you, feel free to reach out to us using the form in the ‘Contact’ section.
