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The differences between design supervisors and project engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a design supervisor and a project engineer. Additionally, a design supervisor has an average salary of $78,150, which is higher than the $75,050 average annual salary of a project engineer.
The top three skills for a design supervisor include autocad, engineering drawings and engineering design. The most important skills for a project engineer are project management, autocad, and construction management.
| Design Supervisor | Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $78,150 | $75,050 |
| Hourly rate | $37.57 | $36.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 37,558 | 176,689 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A design supervisor oversees the daily operations of an organization's design team, ensuring projects are completed within deadlines, budgets, and client requirements. They are primarily responsible for understanding project specifications, establishing budgets and guidelines, coordinating with managers, delegating responsibilities, and conducting regular assessments and evaluations to ensure operations run smoothly and efficiently according to industry standards and regulations. They may also communicate directly with clients to provide them with updates, present reports to the director, and liaise with external parties such as suppliers and distributors.
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.
Design supervisors and project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Supervisor | Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $78,150 | $75,050 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $127,000 | Between $55,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Micron Technology | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a design supervisor and a project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Design Supervisor | Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between design supervisors' and project engineers' demographics:
| Design Supervisor | Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% | Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 10.4% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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% |