CPE Engineer

CPE Engineer stands for Certified Plant Engineer. Engineers of all types can become Certified Plant Engineers. “Certified” refers to a special distinction you can achieve through a test, and the “Plant” in your job title refers to your place of work, and it can be anything from a food processing plant to a hydro plant. Although the exact day-to-day responsibilities vary depending on where you work, generally your job is to oversee and lead the other Engineers at the plant, organize projects, and supervise any necessary plant construction, repair, or maintenance. Basically, you keep an eye on the plant while everyone else works to create the company’s products.

Since the role of a CPE Engineer is supervisory, you need excellent communication skills, along with a broad knowledge of engineering. Most plants hire different types of Engineers—from Mechanical Engineers to Electrical Engineers to Environmental Engineers to Civil Engineers you should be knowledgeable in all. But you don’t really need to be an expert. CPE Engineers just need to know what kind of jobs they do.

As the Supervisor, you also keep an eye on safety and health codes, making sure all regulations are being followed correctly. To do this, you establish strategies for pollution control, and oversee the installation of new equipment, as well as the testing and repair of old equipment.

A good grasp of economics helps in this job since you’re also in charge of the financial aspect of projects. For example, if a part of the plant needs to be fixed, or if a new area has to be added, it’s you who handles bid sheets from construction companies and hires contract employees to work on short-term jobs.