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The differences between advanced manufacturing engineers and project engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an advanced manufacturing engineer, becoming a project engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an advanced manufacturing engineer has an average salary of $90,343, which is higher than the $75,050 average annual salary of a project engineer.
The top three skills for an advanced manufacturing engineer include lean manufacturing, project management and sigma. The most important skills for a project engineer are project management, autocad, and construction management.
| Advanced Manufacturing Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $90,343 | $75,050 |
| Hourly rate | $43.43 | $36.08 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 75,116 | 176,689 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
An advanced manufacturing engineer specializes in designing and developing equipment and machinery to optimize an organization's manufacturing operations. Among their responsibilities include performing research and analysis to identify the manufacturing facility's needs, creating prototypes and test structures, liaising with vendors and suppliers to purchase materials, managing budgets and timelines, assessing existing systems and methods to find areas needing improvement, and implementing solutions against problem areas. Furthermore, as an engineer, it is essential to conduct maintenance checks on systems and equipment to ensure quality standards and compliance with state laws and regulations.
A Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation. The Project Engineer will also recommend material, equipment, and the type of personnel needed. This position is integral in the smooth flow of any project, so hiring someone to hold this position will decide the success of a project.
Advanced manufacturing engineers and project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Advanced Manufacturing Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $90,343 | $75,050 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $121,000 | Between $55,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Energy |
There are a few differences between an advanced manufacturing engineer and a project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Advanced Manufacturing Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between advanced manufacturing engineers' and project engineers' demographics:
| Advanced Manufacturing Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.1% Female, 6.9% | Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 17.2% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 14.5% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |