Engineering director vs product engineering manager

The differences between engineering directors and product engineering 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 an engineering director and a product engineering manager. Additionally, an engineering director has an average salary of $162,252, which is higher than the $125,592 average annual salary of a product engineering manager.

The top three skills for an engineering director include java, architecture and infrastructure. The most important skills for a product engineering manager are project management, product management, and product engineering.

Engineering director vs product engineering manager overview

	Engineering Director	Product Engineering Manager
Yearly salary	$162,252	$125,592
Hourly rate	$78.01	$60.38
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	63,868	148,619
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

What does an engineering director do?

An engineering director or director of engineering is an individual who manages a team of engineering managers and coordinates all the engineering activities within the organization. Engineering directors work closely with the organization's executives to develop new strategies to reduce unnecessary costs and time to complete their projects. They must understand and interpret complex sets of data such as profits, losses, or value of liabilities to identify problems and come up with solutions. Engineering directors must also ensure that safety protocols are implemented in the workforce.

What does a product engineering manager do?

A product engineering manager is primarily in charge of overseeing the development of products and procedures, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. In a manufacturing setting, their responsibilities include setting objectives, managing the budgets and schedules, coordinating engineers and specialists, implementing solutions in vulnerable areas, and developing strategies to optimize procedures. They must also monitor the progress of processes, resolving any issues promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a product engineering manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Engineering director vs product engineering manager salary

Engineering directors and product engineering managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Engineering Director	Product Engineering Manager
Average salary	$162,252	$125,592
Salary range	Between $109,000 And $239,000	Between $90,000 And $174,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Brookfield Properties	Airbnb
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between engineering director and product engineering manager education

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

	Engineering Director	Product Engineering Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Engineering director vs product engineering manager demographics

Here are the differences between engineering directors' and product engineering managers' demographics:

	Engineering Director	Product Engineering Manager
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4%	Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 13.1% White, 69.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 2.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 14.8% White, 69.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between engineering director and product engineering manager duties and responsibilities

Engineering director example responsibilities.

Monitor and manage performance base on multiple KPI's.
Manage all FCC filings for the registration of license frequencies.
Improve network reliability and manage signal leakage and FCC compliance.
Lead implementation and remediation efforts to ensure HIPPA, SOX, and PCI compliance.
Manage a team to develop and support SaaS base access control product for health care industry.
Manage release and deployments for multiple, concurrent Java project across varying release cycles from inception to delivery.

Product engineering manager example responsibilities.

Design, build and manage the ParagusIT OpenStack base private cloud.
Lead global engineering team in pursuit of major European OEM's medium and heavy-duty axle business.
Manage and coordinate communication with SME teams during disasters.
Manage outsourced/contract vendors and suppliers including HVAC, elevators, electrical and mechanical systems.
Manage a group of engineers that design semi-custom commercial / industrial HVAC and refrigeration equipment.
Participate and lead multiple Kaizen events, including facility layout, productivity, system integration and setup reductions.

Engineering director vs product engineering manager skills

Common engineering director skills

Java, 7%
Architecture, 7%
Infrastructure, 6%
AWS, 5%
Project Management, 5%
Customer Service, 4%

Common product engineering manager skills

Project Management, 7%
Product Management, 7%
Product Engineering, 7%
Product Line, 5%
Java, 5%
Continuous Improvement, 5%

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Engineering Director
Engineering Director vs Product Engineering Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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