Design manager vs engineering program manager

The differences between design managers and engineering program managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes More than 10 years to become both a design manager and an engineering program manager. Additionally, an engineering program manager has an average salary of $122,604, which is higher than the $102,637 average annual salary of a design manager.

The top three skills for a design manager include sketch, project management and visualization. The most important skills for an engineering program manager are project management, program management, and software development.

Design manager vs engineering program manager overview

	Design Manager	Engineering Program Manager
Yearly salary	$102,637	$122,604
Hourly rate	$49.34	$58.94
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	61,273	148,543
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

What does a design manager do?

A design manager is responsible for creating graphic and digital designs, following clients' specifications, and managing project deliverables efficiently. Design managers work closely with the marketing and public relations department, developing strategies to promote the brand to the target audience. They coordinate with the creative team and present the design ideas to the management, ask for final approval, perform revisions as needed, and follow the budget goals. A design manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the design team's concerns and needs.

What does an engineering program manager do?

As an engineering program manager in the world of technology, it is their main responsibility to lead the development of important modules of new technology such as display, camera, touch ID, etc. It is their job to ensure that modules are correctly built according to specifications and given timeline. They drive day-to-day engineering related activities at the vendor's factory to meet overall program ideas. They are knowledgeable of the hardware process development and other features like display or camera design.

Design manager vs engineering program manager salary

Design managers and engineering program managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Design Manager	Engineering Program Manager
Average salary	$102,637	$122,604
Salary range	Between $69,000 And $150,000	Between $95,000 And $157,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Meta	Meta
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between design manager and engineering program manager education

There are a few differences between a design manager and an engineering program manager in terms of educational background:

	Design Manager	Engineering Program Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Graphic Design	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Design manager vs engineering program manager demographics

Here are the differences between design managers' and engineering program managers' demographics:

	Design Manager	Engineering Program Manager
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2%	Male, 83.5% Female, 16.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 11.8% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 14.0% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between design manager and engineering program manager duties and responsibilities

Design manager example responsibilities.

Help achieve status of medical device manufacturer through the FDA.
Manage several consultants preparing contract documents on the various NYC let and NYS let projects.
Manage and collaborate with ASIC library/memory vendors.
Manage design, tooling, equipment implementations and process improvements for foundry/machining metalworking manufacturer of automotive OEM products.
Design blueprints, bills of materials, FEA as required.
Include producing FDA and ISO-9000 level documentation of the project.

Engineering program manager example responsibilities.

Manage & assist component qualification through PPAP approval process.
Manage prototyping, optics, and tooling for Harley-Davidson aftermarket turn signal and brake lenses.
Manage several projects simultaneously, with excellent track record for ensuring team on-time IP delivery.
Manage committees and task forces ensuring synchronization of CNC training and skills need to promote successful CNC careers.
Work closely with PMO to understand product portfolio needs and manage internal and external resources to meet those goals.
Lead IPT meetings to provide status, address programmatic and customer concerns, assign priorities, assess risk and identifyopportunities.

Design manager vs engineering program manager skills

Common design manager skills

Sketch, 8%
Project Management, 8%
Visualization, 5%
User Experience, 4%
PowerPoint, 4%
Design Process, 4%

Common engineering program manager skills

Project Management, 15%
Program Management, 14%
Software Development, 6%
Scrum, 4%
Risk Management, 3%
Continuous Improvement, 3%

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Design Manager
Design Manager vs Engineering Program Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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