10 Highest Paying Mechanical Engineering Jobs (With Salaries)

Updated 8 March 2023

Mechanical engineering is a vast field consisting of various sub-disciplines that have a great effect on our everyday lives. This discipline offers a wide range of career options to choose from. Getting familiar with those career options can help you make a strategic decision related to your future career path. In this article, we rank the top careers in mechanical engineering by salary, outline their primary duties and list some popular branches in this field.

Highest paying mechanical engineering jobs

Here are some of the high-paying jobs in the mechanical engineering field, along with their average salary and primary duties:

1. Aerospace engineer

National average salary: ₹14,00,000 per year

Primary duties: Design engineers specialise in developing new products. They handle a project from start through production. Their primary responsibility is to understand customer requirements, plan a project schedule, create a budget for the project and work with their team to complete the project within a defined timeframe. They are also responsible for identifying and communicating risks and leading product testing. They may work closely with vendors to negotiate costs, improve delivery processes and schedule orders.

2. Mechanical engineer manager

National average salary: ₹11,00,000 per year

Primary duties: Mechanical engineer managers create technical plans and design and develop prototypes of the devices based on their research. They are also responsible for analysing thermal and mechanical devices, troubleshooting problems and providing a solution for them. They work closely with clients, understand their requirements, develop the scope of a project, create a budget for new projects and work with their team to achieve the project's goals.

3. Maintenance manager

National average salary: ₹11,00,000 per year

Primary duties: A maintenance manager often visits client locations for site inspection. They are mainly responsible for conducting regular inspections and routine maintenance of equipment. They also get any faulty equipment replaced, troubleshoot and repair malfunctioning tools and check if any equipment needs regular maintenance.

4. Research and development engineer

National average salary: ₹9,00,000 per year

Primary duties: Research and development engineers primarily develop new manufacturing techniques and products. They also improve existing processes and increase productivity, efficiency and safety of existing mechanical systems. They use innovative and analytical techniques to identify problems and devise solutions.

5. Nuclear engineer

National average salary: ₹90,585 per month

Primary duties: A nuclear engineer's primary duty is to provide technical support to nuclear power plants. They are responsible for designing, developing, calibrating or disassembling machines used within nuclear power stations. Mechanical engineers may also work as reactor operators, quality engineers and process engineers.

6. Powertrain engineer

National average salary: ₹9,00,000 per year

Primary duties: Powertrain engineers typically work in the automotive industry. Their primary duties are to enhance the performance and aesthetics of the powertrain, engines and other components in modern vehicles. They also work to maintain the software and electrical components in advanced vehicles. They must make sure that the vehicles they work on meet the government's emissions and safety requirements.

7. Senior design engineer

National average salary: ₹7,00,000 per year

8. Tool engineer

National average salary: ₹7,00,000 per year

Primary duties: A tool engineer is primarily responsible for designing and managing mould frameworks. They design the tools used in equipment manufacturing. They also look after the construction and regular maintenance of those tools.

9. Automation engineer

National average salary: ₹6,36,740 per year

Primary duties: Automation engineers are responsible for designing, developing and maintaining automatic machines. They need to work closely with customers in order to understand any tasks or processes to be automated. They are also responsible for designing, testing and maintaining mechanical systems. Automation engineers typically work in manufacturing plants or food processing units where robots perform specific functions. They work to enhance or maintain the machinery for uninterrupted production operations.

10. Instrumentation engineer

National average salary: ₹6,00,000 per year

Primary duties: Instrumentation engineers primarily work in manufacturing plants to ensure that all machinery products are working safely and efficiently. They are also responsible for testing, installing, repairing and inspecting equipment and tools that are used to monitor and control engineering systems and processes. These engineers also work as consultants and give advice regarding processes, systems and equipment. Sometimes, they are also part of purchasing and operations. They can work in different industries like nuclear, renewable energy or environmental agencies.

What is mechanical engineering?

Mechanical engineering is a division of engineering that includes the design, production, operation and analysis of machinery. This discipline employs physics, mathematics and the study of materials in the design, manufacturing and maintenance of mechanical systems. Mechanical engineers design and analyse manufacturing plants, industrial equipment and machinery, heating and cooling systems, transport systems, aircraft, watercraft, robotics, medical devices, weapons and many other products.

Sub-disciplines of mechanical engineering

Here are some of the sub-disciplines of this engineering field include:

Design: Design is also known as drafting. This discipline involves the creation of technical drawings and instructions that aid in the production of mechanical parts.
Kinematics: This sub-discipline involves the study of the motion of bodies, called objects⁠ and systems⁠ or groups of objects⁠.
Mechanics: This sub-discipline studies the relationship between forces and energy and their effect on matter.
Mechatronics and robotics: This type is a hybrid discipline as it involves mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and software engineering.
Structural analysis: This field examines the effect of load on structures. The engineers then analyse the results to check the fitness of the physical structures.
Thermodynamics: This type studies the relationship of heat with other types of energies like mechanical, electrical and chemical.

What is the best career path for a mechanical engineer?

Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest engineering disciplines which offers a wide variety of career paths in various industries. Here are some of the top career paths you can choose as an aspiring mechanical engineer:

Power plant engineering: Engineers working in this career path have in-depth knowledge of thermodynamics, which concerns energy. They also aid in the production of thermal, nuclear, electric, solar, wind-turbine and hydroelectric power plants, among others.
Thermal engineering: This career path involves the production of heating and cooling systems within closed environments. This branch includes the maintenance of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, as well as refrigeration.
Vehicle engineering: This field of mechanical engineering involves the design, production, operation and maintenance of systems and equipment that propel vehicles.
Automotive engineering: This is a subbranch of vehicle engineering where automotive engineers design and producing vehicles that run on roads. This branch of mechanical engineering involves specialists, like safety engineers.
Aerospace engineering: Engineers specialising in this branch design and develop aircraft and spacecraft, including the engines, machinery and other elements that are designed by those familiar with mechanical engineering. To make a career in this field, you must have the knowledge to use specialised computer tools to create designs for spacecraft, aeroplanes, rockets and other machines.
Biomedical engineering: This field applies mechanical principles to biological systems in humans, animals, plants, organs and cells. This field can aid in the production of mechanical limbs or artificial organs for human beings.

Is mechanical engineering a good career?

Mechanical engineering is one of the best engineering fields, as it allows you to make a career in different industries. After completing your bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, you can get a job at a decent salary. There are opportunities to grow in this field as you enhance your skills and gain experience.

Here are the benefits of pursuing a career in mechanical engineering:

It is an interesting field of study where you can learn about machines.
Jobs are available for both entry-level and senior professionals.
You can work in industries like manufacturing, software, aeronautical and biomedical.
You can get career opportunities both in your country and abroad.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.