PLM & Windchill Job Tracker

What each role bucket actually means

Titles on job boards are inconsistent, two companies call the same job different things. Here's what these categories cover in practice.

Windchill Administrator

Day-to-day system ownership: user access, workflow and object configuration, container/library structure, patching and version upgrades. Usually the first call when a change process or a CAD-to-PDM sync breaks.

CAD / PDM Administrator

Same administrator function, scoped to CAD data specifically, SolidWorks/EPDM, file vaulting, revision control, and keeping the CAD-to-PLM handoff clean rather than owning the whole Windchill instance.

Business Analyst

Sits between engineering, IT, and the PLM team, translating real engineering process (change control, BOM management, release workflows) into system requirements the admins and developers can actually build.

Developer / Customization Engineer

Writes the Java/ThingWorx customizations, ERP/MES integrations, and workflow logic that stock Windchill doesn't cover out of the box. Closer to software engineering than system administration.

Solution / Solutions Architect

Owns the system design across modules (PDMLink, MPMLink, and similar), makes the build-vs-configure calls, and is accountable when the architecture doesn't scale as the business grows.

Upgrade / Migration Consultant

Project-based, not steady-state: moving a company from one Windchill version (or PLM system entirely) to another, data migration, customization rewrites, cutover planning.

Subject Matter Expert (Defense/Cleared)

The same PLM skill set applied inside a cleared/defense environment, where ITAR and access-control requirements shape the system as much as the engineering process does.

What these roles typically pay

Compensation across Windchill and PLM roles varies more by function than by title alone. Administrator-track roles (system config, upgrades, day-to-day support) most commonly cluster in the $75,000–$135,000 range nationally, with the low end pulled down by junior or partial-scope postings and the high end reflecting senior or clearance-required positions. Business analyst and functional roles tend to run a bit higher, typically $95,000–$150,000, with SAP-integrated PLM work often landing above that band. Consultant and architect-level roles show the widest range of all: postings and self-reported pay both range from the mid-$100,000s up past $250,000, largely depending on whether the role is a staffing-firm placement, a direct hire, or reported as total compensation rather than base salary. Treat any single number here as a starting reference point, not a ceiling or floor, location, clearance requirements, and whether you're hired direct or through a staffing firm all move these bands meaningfully.

Ranges aggregated from Glassdoor and ZipRecruiter listings, as of July 2026, independent of the live tracker above.