You’ve found a role that looks interesting. The title says “Mechanical Design Engineer” or “Project Engineer”, but the description underneath doesn’t quite match what you expected, or worse, doesn’t tell you much at all. So you’re left guessing whether it’s actually the job you think it is.

You’re not missing something. Engineering job titles genuinely are inconsistent across companies, and it catches out even experienced engineers. We asked Carla, our Engineering Recruitment Manager, to break down what some of the most common titles actually mean; she’s placed engineers into these roles for years and hears the same confusion from candidates every week.

Why the same title means different things everywhere

“Two companies can advertise for a ‘Manufacturing Engineer’ and mean two completely different jobs,” Carla says. “It usually comes down to the size of the business, how the team is structured, and what the last person in that seat happened to specialise in. A smaller company might expect one person to cover design, process improvement, and shop floor troubleshooting. A larger one might have that split across three separate roles.”

Her advice: the title alone won’t tell you much. The responsibilities section will, and if that’s still not clear, ask.

Design Engineer

“Usually this means you’re creating or modifying product or component designs, often in CAD, and working closely with manufacturing to make sure what you’ve designed can actually be built,” Carla explains. “If the ad talks a lot about specific software, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Inventor- that’s your clue it’s a hands-on design role, not a supervisory one.”

Manufacturing / Process Engineer

“This is focused on how things get made, not what they look like,” says Carla. “Expect involvement in improving production lines, reducing waste, solving problems on the shop floor. If you like being hands-on and seeing quick, tangible results from your work, this end of engineering tends to suit that.”

Maintenance Engineer

“This is about keeping equipment and machinery running reliably,” Carla says. “It’s less about new projects and more about troubleshooting, preventative maintenance schedules, and being the person who gets called when something breaks. Shift patterns are common here, so that’s always worth checking before you apply.”

Project Engineer

“This one’s often a mix of technical knowledge and coordination,” Carla explains. “You’re managing timelines, budgets, and multiple stakeholders, alongside a technical understanding of the work being delivered. If you enjoy the technical side but also like organising and driving things forward, this is worth a look.”

Carla’s advice for checking before you apply

• Read the day-to-day tasks, not just the title. “The responsibilities list tells you far more than the job title ever will,” Carla says.
• Look at what tools or systems are mentioned. “They’re often the clearest signal of what the role actually involves day-to-day.”
• Ask before you rule yourself out. “If a role sounds close but you’re not sure it’s the right fit, a quick conversation with the recruiter is worth more than guessing from the ad. I’d always rather have that chat than have someone talk themselves out of a role that would’ve suited them.”

Carla’s here to help you make sense of it

If you’re not sure which engineering role actually fits what you want to do, that’s a completely normal place to be. Carla and the team have these conversations with candidates every day, and would genuinely rather talk it through with you than have you second-guess yourself from a job ad. Whether you’re an experienced engineer weighing up your next move or just starting to explore the sector, get in touch and Carla will help you work out what fits.