Design Engineer

The design engineer is distinguished from the designer/drafter by virtue of the fact that a design engineer sets the direction of the design effort and does the most complex parts of design. The design engineer usually leads the project, designing the overall frameworks and the most far reaching parts, and directing the designers/drafters on sub-system design on the project's more routine parts as necessary. He/she may work with industrial designers and marketing to develop the product concept and specifications and directs the design effort from that point. Products are usually designed with input from a number of sources such as manufacturing, purchasing, tool making and packaging engineering.

In many engineering areas, a distinction is made between the design engineer and the planning engineer in design. Planning engineers are more concerned with designing on a more systems engineering level, and overlaps onto the operational side are often necessary. Design engineers, in contrast, are more concerned with designing a particular new product or system. Analysis is important for planning engineers, while synthesis is paramount for design engineers.

When the design involves public safety, the design engineer is usually required to be licensed, for example a Professional Engineer in the U.S. There is usually an 'industrial exemption' for design engineers working on project internal to companies.

Design Engineer : ijan08