What does an electrical engineer do? Part 2: Development engineer in the automotive industry

People with this profession work on

• many technically interesting developments in the vehicles we use every day on the road
• on new products and vehicle components
• technical calculations and simulations
• on prototypes, which are then tested and improved

In all these tasks, development engineers work closely with other specialists, such as designers, product managers, production engineers and suppliers, to ensure that the products developed meet the company's requirements and objectives. However, once a new product has been developed, this does not mean that there is nothing left to do. Perhaps the development process can still be optimised or the product quality improved. Of course, this requires keeping up to date with the latest technological developments, trends and innovations in the automotive industry and carrying out research.

People in this profession bear responsibility for

• the safety of their developments

Here too, development engineers work closely with other specialists: They must ensure that their products comply with applicable safety standards and regulations. This includes, for example, legal regulations on vehicle safety, crash tests and other relevant standards. They carry out extensive risk analyses to identify and assess potential sources of danger. They take into account aspects such as passive safety (e.g. body structure, airbags, seat belts), active safety (e.g. anti-lock braking systems, electronic stability control) and preventive safety (e.g. driver assistance systems, emergency brake assistants).

What people in this profession should not do wrong

• Ignoring current standards and therefore the state of the art

Without people in this profession, we would have problems in these areas

• Individual mobility

Individual mobility plays an important role in today's society as it allows people to carry out their daily activities efficiently, such as commuting to work or school, shopping or socialising. It also offers the freedom to explore different places and have new experiences.

The work of people with this profession will be particularly important in the future in order to

• Actively shape the mobility of the future to make our vehicles safer, more environmentally friendly and more comfortable.

More recently, the concept of individual mobility has evolved to include alternative drive technologies such as electric vehicles and initiatives to promote sustainable and environmentally friendly means of transport. It is precisely here that many more people with expertise in development engineering will be needed in the future

Significant social achievement(s) that we owe to people in this profession

• Individual mobility makes it possible for people to be close to each other despite long distances.

What is particularly exciting or attractive about this profession

• Many job offers, especially for electrical engineering, good career opportunities, an often international environment, interdisciplinary and application-orientated products and developments

Interdisciplinary work refers to the collaboration of experts from different disciplines or faculties in order to achieve a common goal. It involves experts from different professional backgrounds combining their knowledge, perspectives and methods to tackle complex problems and develop innovative solutions.

The less pleasant aspects of this profession

• Often high cost pressure for solutions to be developed

To be successful, companies must try to keep their costs down. For example, they can work more efficiently, negotiate better contracts with suppliers or cut costs where possible. This allows them to offer their products at a more affordable price that more customers can afford. This is particularly important for personal mobility. Environmentally friendly vehicles must become affordable for everyone in order to bring about change on the roads.

These 5 soft skills are particularly important

• Communication skills
• Ability to work in a team
• Analytical thinking
• creativity
• Problem-solving orientation

Engineers often have to present their ideas, designs and solutions to other team members, superiors or customers. Good communication skills enable them to convey their concepts and technical information clearly and to gain the interest and trust of their audience.

Necessary know-how and hard skills

• IT knowledge
• Programming
• Computer engineering
• Maths
• Physics
• Control engineering
• Measurement and control engineering
• Mechatronics
• Communications engineering
• sensor technology
• Drive technology
• Vehicle electronics

Why do you need IT knowledge and computer science for electrical engineering? Many modern drive systems are controlled via digital controllers. This means that computer programs and software are used to control and optimise the drives. IT skills are important in order to develop, configure and maintain these programmes. In drive technology, programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are often used to automate complex processes. This requires knowledge of programming in order to set up and customise the controllers correctly. In addition, many modern drive systems are networked and can communicate via networks. IT skills are required to enable data communication between the drives and other systems

Work-life balance

• High workload: rather rare
• Weekend work required: rather rare
• Business trips: rather rare
• Need to be available outside working hours: quite rare
• Flexible working hours: often
• Working from home: rather rare

Average gross annual salary in €

• 40,000 - 60,000 EUR for career starters

As a career starter, you can expect to earn +/- €2700 per month.

Young people usually have less work experience than experienced employees when they start their career. Companies generally pay higher salaries later on, once employees have gained more experience and can make a greater contribution to the company based on their knowledge and skills.

What is the typical route into this profession?

Training beforehand can be very helpful, but is not absolutely necessary. A degree in electrical engineering (or other engineering sciences) is necessary. A practical semester and a final thesis in the company or in the field of drive systems pave the way for a career start.

What career prospects does the profession offer?

• Technical specialist career (technical specialisation)
• Management career (team leader, Head of Section, etc.)

Technical management is about managing, organising and optimising technical resources and processes in a company or organisation. It combines technical expertise with management skills to successfully lead technology-based projects and sections.

The profession in 5 hashtags

#automotive, #R&D, #mobility, #future, #sustainability