A product lifecycle management (PLM) engineer is a technical and strategic leader who is passionate about guiding product development processes from beginning to end. They use PLM software to oversee a product's cycle from inception through the engineering, design, and manufacturing phases. They are also involved until the service and retirement or disposal of that product. In our current age of technical innovation, PLM engineers play a key role in helping manufacturers to develop products at a lower cost and quicker.
PLM systems engineers are essential to keeping a system-level view of a product that enables smooth production. Specifically, PLM engineering requires the engineer to use specialized PLM software for secure, managed access to product definition information. The software enables the PLM engineer to maintain the integrity of product data, and manage the business processes used to create, manage, share, and use that product information.
An engineer active in PLM mechanical engineering specifically focuses on managing the lifecycle of a mechanical product from its inception through the engineering, design, and manufacturing, to the service and retirement or disposal of that product.
PLM engineers can find great job opportunities in a range of sectors. Popular industries include manufacturing, information technology, aerospace, automotive, and more.
Common PLM engineer responsibilities
A PLM in engineering responsible for performing a range of business and engineering tasks. Responsibilities may include:
- Designing and implementing software plans to increase engineering productivity;
- Identifying and accessing new PLM applications and providing product development upgrades;
- Managing engineering data, designing downstream tools for PLM processes, and preparing strategies;
- Supporting users and providing guidance in the implementation and roll-out of a new PLM toolset;
- Resolving technical tool issues and managing their resolution in a timely manner;
- Supporting the creation and updating of processes and providing guidance on new ways of working;
- Generating training and support material for PLM best practices and approaches;
- Assessing implications and supporting the strategy of migrations from legacy PLM tools;
- Carrying out business software administration tasks and conducting user acceptance testing;
- Collaborating with PLM software suppliers on specifications;
- Integrating business applications in PLM systems;
- Tracking progress and documenting knowledge and processes;
- Delivering results in line with agreed PLM engineering project timelines and budgets;
- Delivering PLM engineering outputs in compliance with relevant requirements, and in line with customer needs and demands.
Qualifications for PLM engineers
PLM engineers should have at least a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or related.
Additional supporting skills and experience include:
- 5+ years of product lifecycle management/engineering experience;
- Solid understanding of manufacturing processes and product development;
- Understanding of process management maturity models and compliance;
- Knowledge of process redesign methods;
- Thorough experience with Oracle Agile PLM, and other latest software;
- Ability to investigate potentials from Agile PLM system in development environments;
- Proven experience leading diverse teams in complex environments;
- Agile ways of working and Continuous Improvement (green and black belts are preferred);
- Excellent process, analytical, and negotiating expertise;
- Strong verbal, presentation, and written communication skills to be able to work easily with developers, engineers, and other diverse team members.