Requirements engineers are responsible for the analysis, documentation, coordination and management of requirements regarding new software projects. They identify and understand the customer’s project-specific demands and document them in a clear and binding way. By this, they act as the interface between the customer and the developers.
There is no specific training to become a requirements engineer. An academic degree in computer sciences or business informatics, however, is a good basis to start a successful career. Newcomers can work as requirements engineers after having completed an appropriate technical or professional training, e.g. in the area of software development, or further training programmes related to requirements engineering. To deepen the acquired expertise and thus to improve their career prospects, requirements engineers can take certain certificate courses, e.g. for obtaining the qualification Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering (CPRE). Requirements engineers currently have good chances to find a suitable job. Learn more about the interesting areas requirements engineers can work in!
The key task of requirements engineers is requirements management, i.e. the analysis and documentation of customer requirements regarding software to be developed. For this purpose, they conduct interviews, precise observations or workshops with the future users of the software. Furthermore, they identify the customer’s priorities and record conflicts between individual requirements. In this context, requirements engineers always comply with technical, legal and design requirements.
As software developers must know which requirements have the highest priority and which ones are irrelevant or adverse, a clear and binding documentation of the individual requirements is crucial.
Requirements engineers must possess an analytical way of thinking and excellent moderation skills. Besides, they must be experienced in conflict management, persuasive and able to generate enthusiasm for their projects.
Very good German and English language skills and the ability to present complex matters in a comprehensible way to third parties are crucial as well.
The average gross annual salary of requirements engineers is about EUR 62,000. The average starting salary amounts to approximately EUR 48,000 and, with increasing experience, can rise up to EUR 75,000.
As a requirements engineer, you have an interesting job: You have the main responsibility for the management of software development requirements and act as an interface between developers and customers.
We will be happy to drive your career forward and support you in finding a suitable job in an IT environment. Learn more about the benefits of finding a job with Hays!
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