

The position of chief engineer is included in the main management of the enterprise. The profession implies the presence of a certain education, additional skills and work experience. Some personal qualities are also important. The efficiency of any technical enterprise depends on the professionalism of the chief engineer.

Characteristics of the profession
The chief engineer (code according to OKPDTR 20758), in addition to studying the technical activities of the enterprise, decides on the feasibility of its reconstruction, re-equipment of production. To do this, the specialist must carefully analyze all possible prospects. The chief engineer should carry out activities aimed at increasing labor productivity and rational use of available labor resources.
The position also includes:
- development of all necessary technical plans;
- determination of methods for improving the quality of all manufactured and sold products of the company;
- control over the exact observance of established and mandatory production standards;
- approval of plans and drawings used in production.
The position is considered broad-based and involves many special skills. The chief engineer must possess such human qualities as a high degree of responsibility, managerial abilities, analytical and technical mindset, initiative and diligence.

The professional standard also implies such skills.
- Mobility. A feature of the position is the need to constantly check various objects, they may be in other areas, the specialist must be ready at any time to go on planned and unplanned business trips.
- Ability to work comfortably in a team. The chief engineer does not work alone, his activity is connected with constant contact with workers and managers of structural enterprises, the specialist should easily make contact and not be prone to conflicts.
- Ability to carry out monotonous activities for a long time. The position implies the performance of certain duties that are repeated daily, in some cases the emotional state of a person may not withstand the monotonous load, for the chief engineer the presence of such a quality is unacceptable.
- Rationality. In this case, we mean the ability to rationally and expediently manage the company’s finances, all costs must be justified and benefit the enterprise.
- Ingenuity. The position implies a constant analysis of the work of the enterprise and the development of ways to improve production, the specialist must be able to draw up schemes for increasing labor productivity and develop their own innovative ideas.

Job description
The duties and direct tasks of the chief engineer include many functions. It is this specialist who determines the technical policy of the enterprise where he works. The position implies specific rights, duties and responsibility for their non-fulfillment.
All the nuances are prescribed in the job description and are generally accepted. They can differ from the standard ones only if it is prescribed in the company’s charter.

Responsibilities
The specialist takes the second place in the management team after the general director of the enterprise. This nuance is due to the presence of a wide range of duties of a person holding this position. This specialist should be able to calculate the most profitable ways for the enterprise to work in the conditions of the modern market.
The duties of a specialist include:
- conducting product quality control;
- work equipment test controlincluding ensuring timely repair and expansion of the range of equipment used;
- identification of the need to improve the existing qualifications of employeesfull control over human resources;
- monitoring compliance with deadlinesindicated in the estimates, statements and other documents of the enterprise, where his signature is;
- event managementaimed at improving the company’s production processes and their modernization;
- control of fire and technical safety at facilitiesthat are under its jurisdiction — this paragraph also implies appropriate liability for failure to fulfill obligations, including material ones;
- ensuring timely drafting and preparation of all types of technical documentation;
- control over compliance with discipline in production activities – technological, design, fire, design disciplines, labor protection, compliance with environmental and sanitary standards;
- additional staff trainingincluding the conclusion of contracts with universities and other educational institutions, if necessary;
- performance of duties of the general director in his temporary absence.
The functionality may include other items. The key factor in this case is the specifics of the enterprise and its activities. General points are fixed at the legislative level. The instruction cannot contradict them. Only changes related to specific activities are allowed. For example, an engineer working with equipment must regularly check it and supervise repairs. If only employees are subordinate, then the item about equipment can be excluded from the instructions.


Rights
The Chief Engineer may use his personal signature when signing documents relating to the area of his direct authority. The specialist has the right to conclude the necessary contracts not only with legal entities, but also with individuals. He can give special instructions to all heads of technical services and departments.
Other rights:
- receive all the necessary and complete information from the structural heads of technical departments, if it concerns his authority;
- check the activities of all technical structures of the company;
- make a decision on hiring new specialists, in addition, the chief engineer can at any time request information about already working employees of technical structures;
- take part in the preparation of all estimates, instructions and orders of the enterprise related to the production activities of the company;
- require the main management of the company to provide the production process with all the necessary resources to create the most comfortable organizational and technical conditions;
- give instructions to the heads of all subordinate structures on work in production;
- make proposals on innovations in production, attraction of new employees, retraining of existing personnel;
- take part in the development of a program for the rational development of the enterprise, the participation of this specialist in this case is a prerequisite.
Besides, the chief engineer has the right to all guarantees that are provided for at the legislative level. The specialist may also require management assistance in the implementation of their immediate professional duties, as well as request the information necessary for their implementation.
If necessary, the position implies the right to carry out advanced training. This item is also included in the list of rights of the chief engineer.

A responsibility
The chief engineer has a specific list of responsibilities. Failure to comply will result in liability. The employee must comply with the norms of discipline and follow certain orders. The list of duties of this specialist includes general and individual tasks. He bears responsibility regardless of which category the obligation belongs to.. For negligence, non-fulfillment or partial fulfillment, a specialist may receive a reprimand, a fine or be fired. The penalty depends on the company’s internal statutes.
The Chief Engineer is responsible for:
- in case of violation of the established safety regulations;
- for violation of labor discipline and the order established at the enterprise;
- in case of violation of fire safety;
- for disclosure of trade secrets or other confidential information;
- in case of inappropriate execution of internal orders and orders of the company.
The chief engineer bears financial responsibility and must compensate for the damage caused by his activities or improper performance of duties. The list of equipment and other situations that imply such responsibility are prescribed in the contract with the employee.
In addition, the specialist bears criminal and administrative responsibility for some types of his duties.

Job Requirements
The position implies compliance with a number of qualification nuances. In order to work in this specialization, you need at least five years of experience in a similar activity and a higher profile (specifically technical) education. He is required to know the rules of fire safety and labor protection rules. If he is temporarily unable to fulfill his duties, then the general director appoints his temporary deputy.
The specialist must know:
- standard sanitary and hygienic norms;
- all the nuances of production technology (from volumes to ways to increase them);
- rules for organizing labor activity at the enterprise;
- the main purpose of the equipment used in production (including its technical characteristics, methods of assembly and disassembly, methods of repair if such a need arises);
- methods of qualified planning of work necessary for the implementation of high-quality activities of the enterprise;
- all the nuances of the company’s activities and its structure (within its competence);
- rules for drawing up production plans;
- types of defective equipment and raw materials (as well as ways to eliminate and prevent them);
- norms of the current labor law (in relation to their activities and subordinates);
- the legal framework that regulates the activities of the enterprise;
- industrial alarm device (including methods for its repair, replacement and troubleshooting);
- nuances of drawing up economic and basic financial contracts (within their competence).

Education
In order for a specialist to take the post of chief engineer, a higher technical education (bachelor’s degree) is required. After graduating from an educational institution, there must be at least five years of work experience in the profession. This period implies the acquisition by a specialist of all the necessary knowledge in practice. If necessary, advanced training or retraining is carried out. You can take such courses not only in educational institutions, but also in production, if this is provided for by the charter of the enterprise.

Place of work
The need to introduce the position of chief engineer may arise at any enterprise whose activities are related to production processes. For example, such specialists must be included in the staff of motor transport plants, the heat supply industry, construction organizations, poultry farms, hotels, and pharmaceutical enterprises. It is impossible to carry out the activities of the gas economy without a qualified and experienced chief engineer. In addition, the work of the Moscow Metro and the metro in other cities also implies the mandatory presence of such a position in the list of employees.
Some nuances of the activities of chief engineers, depending on the scope of production:
- transport (assessment of the efficiency of transport systems, control of personnel activities, forecasting the development of some transport systems);
- construction (professional maintenance of the relevant construction documentation, participation in the preparation of the necessary business plans, distribution of the available finances of the enterprise, technical re-equipment of the company, quality control of construction works, responsibility for the timely delivery of buildings and other construction objects);
- railway sphere (execution of management of all involved structures, control of serviceability of the rolling stock);
- aviation (control of the processes of creation and repair of aviation equipment, organization of flights);
- energy (maintenance and development of energy systems, calculation and control of energy consumption, verification of electrical systems and specialized equipment);
- food industry (control and responsibility for the quality of raw materials produced, planning and organization of all processes of production activities);
- housing and communal services enterprises (proposal and development of measures that improve the quality of life of property owners, control of fire safety and technical condition of facilities, development of regulations for subordinates, implementation of scheduled or unscheduled inspections of existing equipment);
- medical institutions (development of plans for the repair and maintenance of medical equipment, analysis of the causes of its breakdowns and premature wear, preparation of requests for the supply of spare parts, maintenance of all necessary technical documentation, regular checks of the technical condition of the equipment);
- operation of equipment at the enterprise (control of fire and emergency safety, investigation and recording of accidents, training of personnel, participation in the development of instructions).

How much does he earn?
The salary of a chief engineer depends on the scale of the enterprise and the region in which the activity is carried out. In addition, it matters how long a specialist holds this position. For example, the salaries of chief engineers working on a project for a year or five years will vary significantly.
Approximate indicators depending on the region:
- in Moscow and Moscow region — from 80,000 rubles;
- in Krasnoyarsk — from 62,000 rubles;
- in Omsk — up to 50,000 rubles;
- in St. Petersburg - from 70,000 rubles.
It is impossible to become a chief engineer of an enterprise with only a higher specialized education. The position requires experience.
In addition, this specialist has a list of duties that can be performed, knowing all the specifics of the company’s technical activities. Special requirements apply to chief engineers of different areas.
