Research engineer to process engineer
A research engineer already meets 57% of what the process engineer role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
43.6/ 100
1 How much of what a process 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 process engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A process engineer role treats 10 of its required skills as things a research engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply advanced manufacturing
- define technical requirements
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- interpret technical requirements
- manage engineering project
What stands in the way is 4 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 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A process 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 apply advanced manufacturing management skills
- 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 define technical requirements management skills
All 16 carried skills, including the 10 the process engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 9 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 production engineering required
- still to learn manufacturing processes required
- optional, not held circular economy optional
- optional, not held environmental engineering optional
- still to learn analyse production processes for improvement required
- optional, not held assess financial viability optional
- optional, not held read engineering drawings optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held consult with design team optional
- optional, not held consult with technical staff optional
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
- optional, not held define quality standards optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held apply health and safety standards optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a process engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 production engineering study this
- 02 analyse production processes for improvement practise this
- 03 manufacturing processes 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 16 skills that carry over
- already held apply advanced manufacturing skill
- already held define technical requirements skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- 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 collect samples for analysis skill
- already held develop test procedures skill
- already held industrial research and development knowledge
- already held perform project management skill
- already held use CAD software skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held label samples optional
- optional, not held automatic control system optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held consult with design team optional
- optional, not held label samples optional
- optional, not held apply health and safety standards optional
- optional, not held assess financial viability optional
- optional, not held automatic control system optional
- optional, not held circular economy optional
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held consult with technical staff optional
- optional, not held define quality standards optional
- optional, not held environmental engineering optional
- optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held read engineering drawings optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
21 held skills the process engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAD software knowledge
- 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 computational mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct experiments on animals skill
- not needed by the target role execute feasibility study 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 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
5 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 production engineering required
- still to learn manufacturing processes required
- optional, not held automatic control system optional
- optional, not held circular economy optional
- optional, not held environmental engineering optional
Common questions about this move
Can a research engineer become a process engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A research engineer already covers 57% of what a process engineer is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 10 of which the process engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a research engineer need to become a process engineer?
4 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is production engineering.
How hard is the move from research engineer to process engineer?
Its learning distance is 43.6 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.