WHAT DOES AN ENGINEERING ASSISTANT DO?
Updated: Jun 03, 2025 - The Engineering Assistant manages line engineering modules, including overseeing a team of engineers and technicians, monitoring product key performance indicators, and implementing corrective actions to enhance performance. This position coordinates cross-departmental support, optimizes lithography processes, and drives supplier and customer improvement projects. Ensuring stability, supervising measurement processes, and optimizing complex installations are integral to achieving defect reduction and yield improvement.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Engineering Assistant
1. Engineering Assistant Essential Functions
- Control Drawing Preparation: Prepare control drawings for the manufacturing process
- Solidworks: Edit engineering drawings using Solidworks
- ECO Management: Manage ECO (Engineering Change Order)
- Document Management: Ensure proper document classification, sorting, filing, and archiving
- Meeting Minutes Preparation: Prepare minutes of meetings for engineering meetings, daily schedule, etc.
- Report Compilation: Provide departmental support in compiling reports, PDRFs, and drawings for submission
- Team Support: Support the department in Team Targeted Main Activities (TMA)
- Technical Support: Provide technical and engineering support for process and production operation
- Evaluation: Perform process, machine, and material evaluation as part of the problem-solving process for products
- Improvement Programs: Involve in improvement programs such as Design of Experiment (DOE), Statistical Process Control (SPC), and Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA)
2. Engineering Assistant Role Purpose
- Project Management: Manage the day-to-day activities associated with the ongoing projects including project-based files and documentation
- Document Management System: Maintain an electronic document management system (i.e. drawings, specifications and standards, equipment files, project files, and engineering library)
- Point of Contact: Provide a single point of contact for document requests, transfers, and receipts from Maintenance, Operations, and Engineering as well as external sources
- Documentation Assistance: Provide necessary assistance to engineering and maintenance in the documentation and overseeing accuracy through the collation of libraries and manufacturing systems
- Document Supervision: Supervise, track, and issue documents while ensuring compliance with appropriate Records Information Management Protocols
- Record Accuracy: Assess the completeness and accuracy of engineering records and documents
- Document Approval: Check promptness and approval of documents and ensure their timely turn-over
- Graphics and Records Management: Assess graphics and manage records of project drawings and correspondence
- Archiving: Maintain archives and files of master documents
- AutoCAD Support: AutoCAD support by updating existing drawings from redlines
3. Engineering Assistant General Responsibilities
- AutoCAD Drafting: Prepares engineering drawings using AutoCAD and other associated computer software for in-house drafting of pipelines and facility projects
- Engineering Drawing Preparation: Prepares engineering drawings from notes and limited sketches provided by engineers and designers
- CAD Software Usage: Uses computer-aided drafting or design software for design, drafting, 3D modeling, and other engineering tasks
- CAD Standards Enforcement: Assists in establishing, maintaining, and enforcing the use of proper CAD standards and procedures
- Construction Plan Review: Performs reviews of construction plans and specifications for proposed water and/or sewer pipelines for conformance to WSSC Water standards and specifications
- Project Assistance: Assists with investigation, development, and design of a variety of large, complex projects with a focus on water and wastewater pipelines
- Coordination and Direction: Provide coordination and direction to less experienced CAD users
- Vehicle Operation: Drives a vehicle to conduct WSSC Water business
- Dam Inspection Assistance: Assists in the annual dam inspection program
- Technical CAD Support: Assists with investigations, studies, and technical CAD support
- Problem Resolution: Performs design or construction problem resolution
- Engineering Calculations: Performs a variety of engineering calculations
4. Engineering Assistant Key Accountabilities
- Investigation and Testing: Perform assigned investigations and tests to ensure sound and factual conclusions supported by accurate and reliable data within budgetary and time constraints.
- Testing Apparatus Design: Design and fabricate testing apparatus, not available for purchase, at a reasonable cost, from existing components necessary for assigned projects.
- Procedure Development: Develop particular procedures and recommend the purchase of necessary components, equipment, and supplies related to assigned projects.
- Technical Direction: Provide technical direction to subordinates in set-up, trouble-shooting, and necessary corrective action required for assigned investigations and tests.
- Report Preparation: Prepare clear and complete reports for assigned projects.
- Technical Knowledge Maintenance: Maintain an increasing level of knowledge of the practical technical application of engineering or scientific knowledge.
- Personal Development: Ensure personal development and contribution to the achievement of personal, unit, and company goals and objectives.
- Project Tracking: Keep appropriate supervisory management informed of the status and progress of all work in process and of any significant development affecting assigned projects.
- Task Management: Track and report requested projects and tasks that are assigned.
- BOM Maintenance: Maintain and modify BOMs.
5. Engineering Assistant Roles and Details
- Team Management: Managing the Line Engineering module including disciplinary responsibility for a team of engineers and technicians as well as a department manager
- Performance Monitoring: Responsibility for and monitoring of all relevant product key performance indicators
- Continuous Improvement: Development and implementation of continuous improvement activities as well as corrective actions to ensure performance indicators
- Cross-Departmental Coordination: Cross-departmental coordination of line support to ensure performance to schedule and yield
- Technology Control: Controlling technology and development activities consistent with the overall AMTC business strategy and the technology strategies of AMC's partner companies
- Technical Support: Responsibility for the technical support of raw material suppliers
- Supplier and Partner Collaboration: Driving improvement and development projects with suppliers, customers, and partners
- Lithography Process Development: Development and implementation of new lithography processes for the production line
- Process Monitoring: Monitoring and control of existing processes
- Process Efficiency Improvement: Increasing the efficiency of processes and equipment for coating/temperature treatment/development
- Defect Reduction: Driving initiatives for continuous defect reduction and yield improvement
- Production Support: Work closely together with the tool and process managers and will support the production process of photomasks of the most advanced generation
- Measurement Supervision: Supervise measurement processes e.g. critical structure width (CD), placement accuracy (registration), or surface topology on products and test masks
- Process Optimization: Be responsible for ensuring stability and for the optimization of highly complex installations as well as for the development of individual processes