Research engineer to design engineer
A research engineer already meets 44% of what the design engineer role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
58.5/ 100
1 How much of what a design engineer is expected to do is already part of a research engineer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the design engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A design engineer role treats 11 of its required skills as things a research engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- define technical requirements
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- execute feasibility study
- interpret technical requirements
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A design engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a research engineer background worth leading with.
- already held develop test procedures management skills
- already held interpret technical requirements information skills
- already held industrial research and development engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held manage engineering project management skills
- already held execute feasibility study information skills
- already held define technical requirements management skills
All 15 carried skills, including the 11 the design engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 34 missing skills fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn assess financial viability required
- still to learn execute analytical mathematical calculations required
- optional, not held adapt to new design materials optional
- optional, not held keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
- optional, not held analyse test data optional
- optional, not held conduct research on trends in design optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- still to learn present artistic design proposals required
- optional, not held design power plant systems optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held design prototypes optional
- optional, not held determine suitability of materials optional
- optional, not held draft design specifications optional
- optional, not held draw design sketches optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held prepare production prototypes optional
- still to learn circular economy required
- optional, not held thermohydraulics optional
- optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held model based system engineering optional
- still to learn mathematics required
- optional, not held nuclear physics optional
- still to learn design principles required
- optional, not held design management optional
- optional, not held product data management optional
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a design engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assess financial viability practise this
- 02 circular economy study this
- 03 design principles study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held define technical requirements skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held execute feasibility study skill
- already held interpret technical requirements skill
- already held manage engineering project skill
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held project management knowledge
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held develop test procedures skill
- already held industrial research and development knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held perform test run optional
- optional, not held create technical plans optional
- optional, not held supervise work on design planning optional
- optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
28 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held adapt to new design materials optional
- optional, not held design management optional
- optional, not held design power plant systems optional
- optional, not held keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes optional
- optional, not held nuclear physics optional
- optional, not held thermohydraulics optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
- optional, not held analyse test data optional
- optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held conduct research on trends in design optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held create technical plans optional
- optional, not held design prototypes optional
- optional, not held determine suitability of materials optional
- optional, not held draft design specifications optional
- optional, not held draw design sketches optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held model based system engineering optional
- optional, not held perform test run optional
- optional, not held prepare production prototypes optional
- optional, not held product data management optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- optional, not held supervise work on design planning optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
22 held skills the design engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply advanced manufacturing skill
- not needed by the target role apply safety procedures in laboratory skill
- not needed by the target role assist scientific research skill
- not needed by the target role battery design knowledge
- not needed by the target role bioeconomy knowledge
- not needed by the target role cognitive computing knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect samples for analysis skill
- not needed by the target role computational mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct experiments on animals skill
- not needed by the target role gather experimental data skill
- not needed by the target role industrial engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role laboratory techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role materials engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform laboratory tests skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role physics knowledge
- not needed by the target role run laboratory simulations skill
- not needed by the target role scientific literature knowledge
- not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge
- not needed by the target role use mathematical tools and equipment skill
- not needed by the target role use non-destructive testing equipment skill
- not needed by the target role write manuals skill
10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn circular economy required
- still to learn design principles required
- still to learn mathematics required
- optional, not held design management optional
- optional, not held nuclear physics optional
- optional, not held thermohydraulics optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held model based system engineering optional
- optional, not held product data management optional
Common questions about this move
Can a research engineer become a design engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A research engineer already covers 44% of what a design engineer is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 11 of which the design engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a research engineer need to become a design engineer?
6 required skills are missing, plus 28 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is assess financial viability.
How hard is the move from research engineer to design engineer?
Its learning distance is 58.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.