Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Youth Engineer

🎯 Role Definition

The Youth Engineer is a hands-on engineering professional focused on designing, delivering, and scaling STEM and technology programs for children and young adults. This role blends technical development (hardware and software prototyping, curriculum-aligned projects, maker-space setup), instructional delivery (workshops, coaching, mentorship), and program operations (safety, monitoring, partnerships). The ideal candidate builds engaging, age-appropriate learning experiences, supports measurable learning outcomes, and collaborates across schools, nonprofits, and community partners to increase youth access to technology and engineering opportunities.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Junior / Entry-Level Engineer roles (hardware/software)
STEM Educator, Teaching Assistant, or Youth Program Facilitator
Maker Space Technician, Robotics Club Leader, or Volunteer Instructor

Advancement To:

Senior Youth Engineer / Program Lead
STEM Program Manager or Curriculum Manager
Director of Youth Engineering / Director of Education & Outreach
Technical Education Consultant or Community Technology Lab Director

Lateral Moves:

STEM Curriculum Developer
Community Outreach or Partnership Manager
Learning Experience Designer (K-12 Technology)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, prototype, and maintain hands-on STEM project kits and lesson plans (hardware + software) that are developmentally appropriate for ages 8–18, aligned to learning outcomes, and scalable across multiple classrooms or community sites.
Deliver interactive coding and robotics workshops, lessons, and hackathons, using age-appropriate pedagogy to teach programming concepts, electronics fundamentals, and engineering design thinking.
Lead engineering-focused maker space setup and upkeep, including selecting equipment (3D printers, CNC, soldering stations, microcontrollers), establishing safety protocols, and maintaining inventory for ongoing program delivery.
Mentor and coach small groups of youth through project-based learning cycles, providing formative feedback, scaffolding problem-solving, and encouraging collaborative engineering practices.
Develop assessment instruments and rubrics to measure technical skill acquisition, computational thinking growth, and behavioral outcomes; analyze results and iterate curricula based on data-driven insights.
Collaborate with educators and school administrators to integrate youth engineering modules into existing curricula and align workshops to grade-level standards and school schedules.
Build and maintain simple, documented codebases and hardware documentation for youth-friendly projects (Python, JavaScript, Arduino, micro:bit) to ensure reproducibility by teachers and volunteers.
Train and supervise volunteers, teaching assistants, and seasonal staff on lesson delivery, classroom management, and technical troubleshooting to scale program reach while maintaining quality.
Troubleshoot hardware and software issues during live sessions, performing rapid fixes to minimize downtime and ensure positive participant experiences.
Coordinate logistics for off-site events, competitions, and community showcases, including transport of fragile equipment, venue setup, and volunteer coordination.
Manage procurement, vendor relationships, and budget tracking for consumables, electronics components, and tools used across programs and labs.
Create accessible learning materials, including step-by-step build guides, video tutorials, and differentiated learning tracks to meet a range of skill levels and learning preferences.
Implement child safeguarding and safety compliant practices — including background checks, behavioral policies, and emergency procedures — and ensure all staff and volunteers adhere to those standards.
Support grant writing and reporting by providing technical statements of work, programmatic outcomes, and evidence of impact to funders and stakeholders.
Run formative pilot programs and A/B tests on curriculum elements, collecting qualitative and quantitative feedback from youth and educators to optimize engagement and effectiveness.
Develop partnerships with local schools, libraries, universities, and employers to create pipelines for sustained youth participation and potential work-based learning opportunities.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of emerging educational technologies, maker trends, and relevant engineering practices to refresh program content and recommend strategic investments.
Lead the deployment of learning platforms and online resources (LMS pages, GitHub repositories, learning portals) to provide blended learning and homework support for program participants.
Ensure ADA-accommodation-ready materials and inclusive instructional strategies are incorporated so programs are accessible to neurodiverse learners and youth with disabilities.
Produce clear program documentation, safety manuals, and technical SOPs that enable scalable replication of youth engineering offerings in new sites or partner organizations.
Monitor program KPIs (participation rates, retention, skill progression, diversity metrics) and produce monthly/quarterly reports for leadership with recommendations for improvement.
Actively recruit and onboard diverse youth cohorts, leveraging outreach channels and culturally responsive engagement approaches to build inclusive participation.
Facilitate parent/guardian communications, orientations, and feedback loops to ensure family engagement and alignment of expectations for youth progression.
Contribute to the design and rollout of seasonal curricula (summer camps, after-school clubs, winter intensive sessions), including staffing plans, material lists, and detailed session scripts.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Represent the organization at community events, conferences, and school partnership meetings as a subject-matter expert on youth STEM education.
Assist with marketing content creation (blog posts, social media highlights, demo videos) that showcases program impact and attracts new participants or funders.
Provide technical input to product or program managers on the feasibility, cost, and timeline for scaling learning technologies or new lab features.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Curriculum design for K-12 STEM: ability to design sequential lesson plans, scaffolding, and assessment for ages 8–18.
Prototyping & maker skills: hands-on experience with prototyping tools (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, micro:bit), basic soldering, breadboarding, and circuit design.
Programming languages: practical competency in Python and JavaScript for education contexts; familiarity with block-based platforms (Scratch, MakeCode) for younger learners.
Robotics & automation: experience with educational robotics platforms (LEGO Mindstorms, VEX, SparkFun kits) and designing age-appropriate robotics challenges.
CAD and fabrication: working knowledge of basic CAD tools (Tinkercad, Fusion 360) and additive/subtractive fabrication (3D printing, laser cutting).
LMS and digital tools: experience managing course materials in an LMS or content repository (Google Classroom, Canvas, GitHub) and deploying simple web-based learning pages.
Technical documentation: creating clear build guides, troubleshooting SOPs, and version-controlled repositories for projects and curricula.
Data literacy: ability to collect, clean, and interpret program data (CSV, Google Sheets, basic SQL or data visualization) to inform curricular changes.
Safety & compliance: knowledge of lab safety practices, child protection policies, and incident reporting procedures.
Equipment procurement & budgeting: experience estimating supplies, sourcing vendor quotes, and tracking consumables within budget constraints.

Soft Skills

Strong verbal and written communication tailored to youth, educators, volunteers, and funders.
Instructional presence and classroom management — confident public speaking and facilitation in front of groups of varying ages.
Empathy and cultural competency for working with diverse youth populations and designing inclusive learning experiences.
Problem-solving orientation: structured troubleshooting mindset under time pressure during live workshops.
Project management: ability to scope, plan, and execute multi-week programs with clear milestones and deliverables.
Collaborative teamwork: history of working cross-functionally with educators, program managers, and external partners.
Adaptability and resilience in dynamic educational settings and when piloting new curriculum elements.
Attention to detail in safety checklists, equipment maintenance, and documentation.
Coaching and mentorship: ability to give constructive feedback to youth and volunteers and track skill progression.
Time management and multitasking across concurrent programs and administrative requirements.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate degree or equivalent practical experience in Engineering Technology, Education, Computer Science, or related technical field; relevant professional certifications accepted.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Education (with a STEM focus), Computer Science, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, or Curriculum & Instruction.
Additional certifications in youth development, teaching credentials, or safety/safeguarding training (e.g., First Aid, Child Protection, OSHA 10).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Mechatronics
Computer Science, Software Engineering, or Instructional Technology
Education, Curriculum Development, or Youth Development
Industrial Design, Product Design, or Maker Education

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–5 years of professional experience in engineering, maker spaces, youth education programs, or technical workshops.

Preferred:

2+ years delivering STEM programs or engineering instruction to youth aged 8–18.
Demonstrated experience mentoring youth, creating curricular materials, or managing maker space operations.
Experience coordinating with schools or community organizations, and familiarity with grant-funded programming and reporting.

If you’d like, I can tailor this job brief for a specific setting (nonprofit, school district, corporate CSR program, or maker space) and optimize the responsibilities and skills for that audience.