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The differences between design manufacturing engineers and system design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a design manufacturing engineer, becoming a system design engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a system design engineer has an average salary of $107,704, which is higher than the $102,492 average annual salary of a design manufacturing engineer.
The top three skills for a design manufacturing engineer include CNC, continuous improvement and GD. The most important skills for a system design engineer are system design, architecture, and MATLAB.
| Design Manufacturing Engineer | System Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,492 | $107,704 |
| Hourly rate | $49.27 | $51.78 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 127,555 | 113,582 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
A design manufacturing engineer specializes in designing and developing manufacturing systems and equipment. They primarily conduct research and analyses, develop drafts and prototypes, set and implement test systems, troubleshoot issues, and maintain extensive records. They may also assess existing systems to identify their weaknesses and strengths, fix or repair components, perform adjustments, and provide technical support to staff as necessary. Moreover, a design manufacturing engineer empowers staff to reach goals and implements safety standards and policies for a safe and productive work environment.
A system design engineer is an individual who participates in system design engineering and resolves manufacturing and service problems. System design engineers are required to collaborate with the system design team to research emerging technologies and develop new capabilities. They create design layouts by utilizing the use of CAD software such as AutoCad as well as supervise a group of CAD technicians. System design engineers must also provide customer service in the field and deliver individualized problem solving and system design support
Design manufacturing engineers and system design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Manufacturing Engineer | System Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $102,492 | $107,704 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $147,000 | Between $77,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | Berkeley, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a design manufacturing engineer and a system design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Design Manufacturing Engineer | System Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between design manufacturing engineers' and system design engineers' demographics:
| Design Manufacturing Engineer | System Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3% | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 12.6% White, 69.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 15.4% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |