WHAT DOES A JUNIOR ENGINEER DO?
Published: Jan 15, 2026 - The Junior Engineer defines automation strategies, develops technical documentation, supports validation activities, and ensures production systems are properly monitored and optimized. This role involves assisting in the design, development, programming, and testing of control systems while performing diagnostics and root-cause analysis to resolve process issues. The Junior Engineer also supports project deliverables, contributes to audits and capital projects, and collaborates with cross-functional teams to meet operational goals.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Junior Engineer
1. Junior Engineer Functions
- Engineering Analysis: Perform engineering studies of limited scope using prescribed methods and techniques.
- Problem Solving: Apply established problem-solving approaches to support engineering tasks.
- Technical Assistance: Assist with specific components of more complex engineering activities.
- Design Methods: Follow prescribed analysis, design, and computation methods during task execution.
- Professional Supervision: Work under the guidance of a senior professional engineer.
- Quality Review: Ensure all work is reviewed for accuracy, adequacy, and procedural compliance.
- Technical Judgment: Use initiative and judgment when making routine technical decisions.
- Standards Compliance: Apply engineering standards and follow detailed instructions consistently.
- Engineering Practices: Maintain compliance with established engineering practices.
- Construction Oversight: Conduct on-site construction quality control and monitoring to ensure design compliance.
2. Junior Engineer Accountabilities
- Systems Support: Support systems engineering tasks, including analysis and assessment activities.
- System Definition: Contribute to system definition and systems analysis efforts.
- Architecture Development: Support the development of systems architecture and associated architecture products.
- Kill Chain Analysis: Perform kill chain analysis related to Department of Defense systems.
- Logistics Planning: Provide logistics support considerations for DoD system lifecycles.
- Threat Assessment: Support studies assessing threat kill chain operations to identify exploitable vulnerabilities.
- Mission Analysis: Analyze mission threads to understand operational flows and dependencies.
- Force Evaluation: Evaluate Blue Force System kill chains to assess effectiveness and resilience.
- System Modeling: Develop and maintain system models to support analysis and decision-making.
- Trade Studies: Conduct trade studies and sensitivity analyses to compare solution alternatives.
- Engineering Artifacts: Develop clear engineering artifacts for review and consideration by decision makers.
3. Junior Engineer Responsibilities
- Analytical Methods: Develop analytical methods to identify chemical components affecting water quality.
- Predictive Monitoring: Apply predictive techniques to monitor changes in water quality over time.
- Experimental Design: Design and conduct experiments to generate product-related insights.
- Data Analysis: Analyze experimental results to support data-driven development decisions.
- Field Trials: Participate in building and maintaining field trials and test setups.
- Product Validation: Support validation of products under real-world conditions.
- Design Optimization: Optimize designs and development processes using new technologies.
- Cross Collaboration: Collaborate with R&D, Operations, and external stakeholders during optimization activities.
- Technical Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot technical issues within the development pipeline.
- Problem Resolution: Develop practical solutions to resolve identified technical problems.
- Cost Analysis: Calculate the cost prices of components to support financial planning.
- Cost Optimization: Optimize component costs while maintaining performance and quality standards.
4. Junior Engineer Details
- Earthworks Management: Manage all aspects of earthworks operations, including excavations, mass haul planning, fill placement, and materials management.
- 3D Modeling: Maintain accurate 3D geological, excavation, and earthworks design models using proprietary software tools.
- Model Updating: Update and refine digital models to reflect current project requirements.
- System Integration: Integrate earthworks models with machine control systems to support site operations.
- System Configuration: Program and configure systems used to control earthworks activities.
- Volumetric Analysis: Perform volumetric analysis to quantify excavation and fill requirements.
- Data Reporting: Provide volumetric data to support site programming and scheduling activities.
- As-Built Modeling: Maintain and update models using the latest as-dug site information.
- Data Accuracy: Ensure data accuracy between site conditions and digital models.
- Operational Support: Support efficient and safe earthworks execution through accurate modeling and analysis.
5. Junior Engineer Duties
- Due Diligence: Conduct technical and operational due diligence to evaluate project opportunities.
- Technical Analysis: Analyze projects from a technical perspective, including energy yield, O&M costs, and useful life.
- Project Leadership: Lead technical analysis activities for new development projects.
- Resource Assessment: Perform resource assessments to evaluate project feasibility.
- Land Evaluation: Assess land suitability for development projects.
- Design Review: Review design and engineering documentation to ensure technical viability.
- Energy Assessment: Carry out detailed energy assessments to support investment decisions.
- Technology Benchmarking: Develop technology benchmarks and market references across multiple technologies.
- Renewable Expertise: Build technical know-how in photovoltaic, wind, and hydroelectric systems.
- Emerging Technologies: Expand expertise in transmission systems, battery storage, and hydrogen technologies.
- Asset Oversight: Support ongoing technical oversight of the Atlantica asset portfolio.
- Portfolio Integration: Assist with the integration and technical evaluation of new projects within the portfolio.
6. Junior Engineer Overview
- Project Support: Work alongside a Project Manager to develop technical and management capabilities.
- Design Review: Participate in design reviews to identify scope gaps and technical issues.
- Technical Submittals: Prepare and review technical submittals in line with project requirements.
- Procurement Support: Support procurement activities, including subcontractors, equipment, and plant.
- Project Scheduling: Assist with programming and scheduling of work using MS Project.
- Health Safety: Support health and safety activities, including preparation and review of RAMS.
- Installation Management: Manage and oversee technical aspects of the installation process.
- Site Coordination: Coordinate on-site technical activities to ensure quality and compliance.
- Commercial Support: Support commercial responsibilities in collaboration with the quantity surveyor.
- Commissioning Support: Assist with commissioning activities to ensure systems are fully operational.
7. Junior Engineer Details and Accountabilities
- Process Documentation: Review all process work instructions and documentation regularly for accuracy, currency, efficiency, best practice, and updates.
- NPI Support: Assist with the creation of process work instructions and documentation for New Product Introduction (NPI).
- Engineering Support: Provide general, entry-level support to the Engineering and Quality Departments.
- Product Improvement: Identify potential areas of product improvement and recommend and assist with the development of appropriate solutions.
- Quality Compliance: Ensure compliance with applicable company and customer quality requirements in all assigned programs, functions, products, and areas.
- Issue Reporting: Identify and report problems with specific processes or products to the Senior Engineer.
- Method Development: Assist the Senior Engineer in the development of new methods to improve product quality and process efficiency.
- Goods Inspection: Assist in inspection, testing, or measurement of materials as part of the goods inwards process to verify conformance to drawings and specifications.
- Parts Inspection: Assist in dimensional and/or visual inspection of parts from components to full assemblies in line with work instructions, documentation, engineering drawings, and inspection control plans.
- Jig Fixture Design: Design jigs and fixtures to support production workflow and efficiencies, in line with Health and Safety legislation.
8. Junior Engineer Tasks
- Engineering Drawings: Produce detailed engineering drawings suitable for manufacturing purposes.
- 3D Modeling: Create 3D models of bespoke machinery and plant equipment.
- Site Surveys: Visit project sites to assist with surveys and data collection.
- Technical Documentation: Maintain and update user and technical documentation.
- Bill Materials: Create and maintain accurate bills of materials for manufacture and production.
- Manufacturing Support: Support manufacturing and production teams with up-to-date technical information.
- Performance Tracking: Achieve assigned weekly KPIs and record progress for review meetings.
- Policy Compliance: Ensure all work is carried out in accordance with Kiverco policies and procedures.
- Quality Assurance: Maintain accuracy and quality across all engineering outputs.
9. Junior Engineer Roles
- Process Analysis: Analyze and document existing business processes and supporting technologies.
- Workflow Assessment: Assess current workflows to identify gaps and improvement opportunities.
- Process Design: Design new business processes and operational capabilities.
- Technology Development: Develop and test enabling technologies to support redesigned processes.
- Technical Deliverables: Produce technical deliverables that meet defined functional requirements.
- Quality Standards: Ensure deliverables meet or exceed technical and quality standards.
- Cross-functional: Participate as a key contributor within cross-functional project teams.
- Project Support: Support project activities throughout the full project lifecycle.
10. Junior Engineer Additional Details
- Technical Support: Provide support and assistance to CMS, Ops, Dev, and Post Production staff by troubleshooting technical issues and providing appropriate resolutions.
- Workflow Development: Learn to build workflows in Vantage and other applications under the guidance of the Manager of Engineering.
- Process Documentation: Create detailed documentation of workflows and procedures.
- Media Evaluation: Evaluate problematic multimedia files, determine their characteristics, and input data into CMS.
- File Correction: Evaluate problematic mezzanine files and create corrected versions.
- Post Production: Assist with troubleshooting of Post Production Editorial platforms.
- Cross Collaboration: Collaborate with internal departments to roll out new initiatives, programs, systems, automation enhancements, and other technical solutions.
- License Tracking: Assist in tracking of application licensing.
- System Maintenance: Assist with maintenance needs.
11. Junior Engineer Essential Functions
- Operational Planning: Plan and coordinate operational and assembly activities.
- Assembly Workflow: Develop structured assembly workflows to support efficient operations.
- Systems Support: Support the systems engineering team with technical and operational input.
- Cross Coordination: Coordinate between engineering and production to ensure alignment.
- Quality Control: Establish structured quality control processes within the plant.
- Quality Monitoring: Manage and monitor quality checks across assembly and operations.
- Standards Compliance: Ensure compliance with internal standards and quality requirements.
- Continuous Improvement: Support continuous improvement of operational and quality processes.
12. Junior Engineer Role Purpose
- Performance Testing: Perform hydraulic and mechanical performance tests on original and repaired equipment.
- Test Execution: Execute tests in accordance with defined standards and operational requirements.
- Specification Analysis: Analyze technical specifications to ensure test alignment and compliance.
- Procedure Development: Develop and generate detailed test procedures.
- Instrument Handling: Handle and use measuring instruments accurately and safely.
- Results Reporting: Generate clear results reports based on test outcomes.
- Documentation Management: Manage and maintain technical documentation related to customer orders.
- Continuous Improvement: Actively participate in continuous improvement initiatives to enhance testing and processes.
13. Junior Engineer General Responsibilities
- Automation Strategy: Define automation strategy and present it to Customer Representatives, Site Lead, or Operations Director.
- Automation Documentation: Design, develop, and execute automation documentation.
- Technical Documentation: Create technical documentation and provide support in production environments.
- Validation Coordination: Coordinate all validation activities through constant communication with related departments and personnel, and oversee and review validation deliverables, processes, and procedures.
- Business Support: Support the company’s business plan and critical success factors.
- Audit Support: Provide active support during internal and external periodic audits.
- Project Monitoring: Monitor project deliverables and timelines, notify management personnel when issues arise, and take corrective actions.
- Root Cause: Perform diagnostic exercises, including software, hardware, and performance data analysis, to assist in root cause analysis when process control problems arise.
- Control Systems: Participate in the design, development, programming, and testing of new control systems and manufacturing processes.
- System Monitoring: Ensure process control systems are continuously monitored, and identify and pursue opportunities for system optimization.
- Capital Projects: Provide technical expertise for the planning and execution of capital projects requiring system support and integration.
- Team Support: Support other team members and project-related tasks.