Engineering Design Manager Jobs in Tennessee
Engineering Design Manager jobs in Tennessee are in active demand, concentrated in automotive and advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense, and industrial engineering sectors, with openings at every level from project lead through senior director. Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville are the primary hiring hubs, home to established employers like Volkswagen Group of America, Lockheed Martin, and Tennessee Valley Authority that consistently staff engineering design manager roles. The most sought-after specialties in the state are product development, systems engineering, and process design. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 4 of 18+ Engineering Design Manager jobs
Electrical Engineering Design Manager
At Salas O’Brien we tell our clients that we’re engineered for impact. This passion for making a different applies just as much to our team as it does to our projects. That’s why we’re committed to living our values every day: inspiring, achieving, and connecting as shared owners of our success with a focus on a sustainable future.
Building for the long-term means that all our team members can expect to work on amazing projects with a people-first approach to problem solving. It also means that each member of our team has truly limitless potential to build unique, meaningful, and high-impact career- and they’ll receive great total rewards along the way.
Job Summary: The idea candidate to fill this position is an Electrical Engineer that is a working technical leader responsible for the quality, consistency, and timely delivery of electrical engineering design across multiple power generation, distribution, and industrial projects. This role leads multidisciplinary design execution from conceptual development through issued-for-construction (IFC) documents, while coordinating with project managers, clients, contractors, vendors, and internal discipline leaders.
The manager will provide day-to-day direction, workload planning, technical review, coaching, and career development for junior electrical engineers and electrical designers who may report directly to this position. The role remains hands-on in design and analysis and is expected to establish repeatable design practices, strengthen quality control, support proposal development, and help grow the Power Generation and Industrial practice.
Competencies:
- Ability to balance hands-on technical contribution with delegations, coaching, and quality oversight.
- Provide constructive feedback and support the progression of engineers toward independent design responsibility and professional licensure.
- Partner with project leadership to address staffing, performance, schedule, and technical issues promptly and professionally.
- Experience in personally developing electrical design packages from a conceptual to IFC level for power generation and distribution including specification of all protective device/relays, instruments, transformers, breakers, alternators, grounding components, and power/control wiring.
- In-depth understanding of the design limitations and routing of conduit, cable tray, trench duct for high density power applications.
- Experience with coordinating closely with vendor packagers to develop cost effective and timely design solutions for highly technical applications.
- ETAP or SKM modelling experience and understanding of systems coordination, arc flash, grounding, and Neher-McGrath.
- Capability to personally develop one-lines, three-lines, breaker control diagrams, power plans, and systems plans.
- Strong familiarity with IEEE, UL, NEMA, NFPA standards for renewables, harmonics, generation, energy storage, hazardous area, and industrial systems
- Take ownership and have ability to read, understand, and review vendor shop drawings for GIS switchgear, substation transformers, DCU/PLC enclosures, Microgrid controllers, and complete generation systems.
- Ability to effectively communicate with architects, owners, and contractors
- Ability to work well independently and as part of a strong team
- Excellent organization and time management skills
Qualifications:
- B.S. in Electrical Engineering
- 7-15 years of work experience with complex electrical systems in the industrial and power generation sector.
- Experience leading electrical design teams, assigning work, reviewing deliverables, and mentoring junior engineers and designers.
- Registered Professional Engineering license preferred.
- Experience with Revit
- Excellent written and oral communication skills are essential for team-based projects.
- Excellent planning and organizational skills required for simultaneous project schedules.
- Highly motivated, proactive, and willing to take on new challenges
- Willing to travel approximately 10%
Location: Nashville, TN
Travel: 10%
This role is eligible for performance-based bonuses, and comprehensive U.S. based benefits package, including:
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) with company match
- Paid time off and company holidays
- Wellness programs and employee assistance resources
- Professional development support
For more information, visit our full benefits overview here – Salas O’Brien benefits
About Us:
Founded in 1975, Salas O’Brien is an employee-owned engineering and professional services firm focused on achieving impact for our clients, our team, and the world. We know that tomorrow’s requirements are today’s opportunities, and we are here to design lasting solutions for pressing challenges.
We work across a variety of industries providing integrated engineering and consulting services. Our specialized experience includes design for data centers, healthcare, science and technology, high-rise buildings, clean energy, education, and other building types as well as structural and building sciences, infrastructure asset management, advanced robotics, and more.
Our technical expertise is paired with an exceptional team of business development, human resources, finance and accounting, information technology, and marketing professionals, all of whom play a key role in bringing our commitments to life every day.
Equal Opportunity Employment Statement
Salas O’Brien provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/provincial, or local laws. Salas O’Brien will accommodate the disability-related needs of applicants as required by law.
Third-Party Agency Notice
Salas O’Brien does not accept unsolicited resumes from external recruiters or agencies. We only work with approved partners engaged directly by our Talent Acquisition team for specific searches. Unsolicited submissions will not be eligible for placement fees.
Experience
Required- 7 - 15 years: 7-15 years of work experience with complex electrical systems in the industrial and power generation sector.
Education
Required- Bachelors or better in Electrical Engineering
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
Electrical Engineering Design Manager
At Salas O’Brien we tell our clients that we’re engineered for impact. This passion for making a different applies just as much to our team as it does to our projects. That’s why we’re committed to living our values every day: inspiring, achieving, and connecting as shared owners of our success with a focus on a sustainable future.
Building for the long-term means that all our team members can expect to work on amazing projects with a people-first approach to problem solving. It also means that each member of our team has truly limitless potential to build unique, meaningful, and high-impact career- and they’ll receive great total rewards along the way.
Job Summary: The idea candidate to fill this position is an Electrical Engineer that is a working technical leader responsible for the quality, consistency, and timely delivery of electrical engineering design across multiple power generation, distribution, and industrial projects. This role leads multidisciplinary design execution from conceptual development through issued-for-construction (IFC) documents, while coordinating with project managers, clients, contractors, vendors, and internal discipline leaders.
The manager will provide day-to-day direction, workload planning, technical review, coaching, and career development for junior electrical engineers and electrical designers who may report directly to this position. The role remains hands-on in design and analysis and is expected to establish repeatable design practices, strengthen quality control, support proposal development, and help grow the Power Generation and Industrial practice.
Competencies:
- Ability to balance hands-on technical contribution with delegations, coaching, and quality oversight.
- Provide constructive feedback and support the progression of engineers toward independent design responsibility and professional licensure.
- Partner with project leadership to address staffing, performance, schedule, and technical issues promptly and professionally.
- Experience in personally developing electrical design packages from a conceptual to IFC level for power generation and distribution including specification of all protective device/relays, instruments, transformers, breakers, alternators, grounding components, and power/control wiring.
- In-depth understanding of the design limitations and routing of conduit, cable tray, trench duct for high density power applications.
- Experience with coordinating closely with vendor packagers to develop cost effective and timely design solutions for highly technical applications.
- ETAP or SKM modelling experience and understanding of systems coordination, arc flash, grounding, and Neher-McGrath.
- Capability to personally develop one-lines, three-lines, breaker control diagrams, power plans, and systems plans.
- Strong familiarity with IEEE, UL, NEMA, NFPA standards for renewables, harmonics, generation, energy storage, hazardous area, and industrial systems
- Take ownership and have ability to read, understand, and review vendor shop drawings for GIS switchgear, substation transformers, DCU/PLC enclosures, Microgrid controllers, and complete generation systems.
- Ability to effectively communicate with architects, owners, and contractors
- Ability to work well independently and as part of a strong team
- Excellent organization and time management skills
Qualifications:
- B.S. in Electrical Engineering
- 7-15 years of work experience with complex electrical systems in the industrial and power generation sector.
- Experience leading electrical design teams, assigning work, reviewing deliverables, and mentoring junior engineers and designers.
- Registered Professional Engineering license preferred.
- Experience with Revit
- Excellent written and oral communication skills are essential for team-based projects.
- Excellent planning and organizational skills required for simultaneous project schedules.
- Highly motivated, proactive, and willing to take on new challenges
- Willing to travel approximately 10%
Location: Nashville, TN
Travel: 10%
This role is eligible for performance-based bonuses, and comprehensive U.S. based benefits package, including:
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) with company match
- Paid time off and company holidays
- Wellness programs and employee assistance resources
- Professional development support
For more information, visit our full benefits overview here – Salas O’Brien benefits
About Us:
Founded in 1975, Salas O’Brien is an employee-owned engineering and professional services firm focused on achieving impact for our clients, our team, and the world. We know that tomorrow’s requirements are today’s opportunities, and we are here to design lasting solutions for pressing challenges.
We work across a variety of industries providing integrated engineering and consulting services. Our specialized experience includes design for data centers, healthcare, science and technology, high-rise buildings, clean energy, education, and other building types as well as structural and building sciences, infrastructure asset management, advanced robotics, and more.
Our technical expertise is paired with an exceptional team of business development, human resources, finance and accounting, information technology, and marketing professionals, all of whom play a key role in bringing our commitments to life every day.
Equal Opportunity Employment Statement
Salas O’Brien provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/provincial, or local laws. Salas O’Brien will accommodate the disability-related needs of applicants as required by law.
Third-Party Agency Notice
Salas O’Brien does not accept unsolicited resumes from external recruiters or agencies. We only work with approved partners engaged directly by our Talent Acquisition team for specific searches. Unsolicited submissions will not be eligible for placement fees.
Experience
Required- 7 - 15 years: 7-15 years of work experience with complex electrical systems in the industrial and power generation sector.
Education
Required- Bachelors or better in Electrical Engineering
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
See All 18 Engineering Design Manager Jobs in Tennessee
Find roles in Tennessee that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find JobsEngineering Design Manager Jobs by City in Tennessee
Where Tennessee roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Engineering Design Manager Job Market in Tennessee
A snapshot from current Tennessee openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Consulting & Professional Services
What Tennessee Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in engineering design manager jobs across Tennessee.
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, industrial, or related engineering discipline required
- Professional Engineer license issued or recognized in Tennessee preferred for senior roles
- Five or more years of engineering experience with at least two in a supervisory capacity
- Demonstrated experience managing full design lifecycles from concept through production release
- Proficiency with CAD platforms such as SolidWorks, CATIA, or AutoCAD widely required
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with manufacturing, quality, and program management teams
Engineering Design Manager Jobs in Tennessee: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a engineering design manager in Tennessee?
The most direct path is earning a bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline, gaining several years of hands-on design or project engineering experience, and moving into a team lead role. While engineering design manager is not a state-licensed position on its own, holding a Professional Engineer license from the Tennessee State Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners significantly strengthens candidacy for senior roles. Many Tennessee employers in automotive and aerospace prioritize candidates who have both the PE credential and direct program management experience.
Which companies hire engineering design managers in Tennessee?
Employers hiring engineering design managers in Tennessee right now include Amazon, Mesa Associates, and AECOM, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Tennessee's concentration of automotive assembly, defense contractors, and utility infrastructure means demand for this role is distributed across both large corporations and tier-one suppliers throughout the state.
Which Tennessee cities have the most engineering design manager jobs?
Nashville, Knoxville, and Tennessee lead Tennessee for engineering design manager openings. Nashville drives volume through its corporate headquarters and growing advanced manufacturing corridor, Chattanooga benefits from Volkswagen's assembly plant and a dense supplier ecosystem, and Knoxville draws demand from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the broader Tennessee Valley energy sector.
Are there remote engineering design manager jobs in Tennessee?
Yes, but they're rare. Engineering design managers typically oversee physical design processes, lab environments, and on-site teams, which limits full remote flexibility. About 0% of engineering design manager openings tied to Tennessee are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, and those tend to be in systems-level or program management roles where the hands-on design work is delegated to the team rather than performed directly by the manager.
How can I get hired as a engineering design manager in Tennessee with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry point is securing a design engineer or project engineer role at a Tennessee manufacturer or defense contractor, then building toward a lead position over several years. Volkswagen's operations in Chattanooga and TVA in Knoxville both recruit entry-level engineers through structured new-grad programs. Lateral moves from adjacent roles like quality engineer, manufacturing engineer, or CAD designer are common stepping stones, and pursuing the EIT credential through the Tennessee State Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners early in your career signals readiness for the management track.
Where can I find and apply to engineering design manager jobs in Tennessee?
You can find and apply to engineering design manager jobs in Tennessee on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings across the state. Find roles that fit your background and apply directly to the ones that match.
See All 18 Engineering Design Manager Jobs in Tennessee
Find roles in Tennessee that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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