Soft Skills, Hard Truths: the role of Sustainability-related Skills for Engineering-Project Managers

Engineering-project managers are at the forefront of complex and high-impact projects that demand not only technical expertise but also a robust set of transversal competences. This study investigates the role of sustainability-related soft skills in project management, particularly in the evolving landscape of engineering projects. Using data from the STEPS4EU Erasmus+ project, which collected insights from 149 project managers, executives, and HR professionals across Italy, Poland, Germany, Finland, and the Netherlands, the research highlights the most critical competences for project managers in the future. Findings indicate that teamwork and collaboration, adaptability and flexibility, and problem-solving are the top-ranked skills, yet sustainability-related competences—such as ethical commitment, social responsibility, and intercultural understanding—are often undervalued. This paper calls for a paradigm shift in engineering project management, advocating for a stronger integration of sustainability-related skills as a key driver for resilience, stakeholder engagement, and long-term project success.