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The differences between engineering managers and product owners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become an engineering manager, becoming a product owner takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, an engineering manager has an average salary of $139,328, which is higher than the $97,070 average annual salary of a product owner.
The top three skills for an engineering manager include java, project management and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a product owner are user stories, acceptance criteria, and product backlog.
| Engineering Manager | Product Owner | |
| Yearly salary | $139,328 | $97,070 |
| Hourly rate | $66.98 | $46.67 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 67,124 | 129,990 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.33 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 48 | 39 |
| Years of experience | - | 10 |
An engineering manager is responsible for managing the overall concept of engineering and construction projects, ensuring that the plan meets the budget goals and the client's specifications. Engineering managers approve designs, plan strategic procedures to follow the project's timetable, analyze current market trends, hire the best and efficient contractors, and coordinate with the clients for any changes and adjustments as needed. An engineering manager must have excellent knowledge of engineering disciplines, as well as leadership and communication skills, monitoring the team's performance throughout the project.
Product owners are at the forefront of an organization's development cycle. They have various duties and responsibilities, which include ensuring that the value of products created by the development team is maximized, creating a vision and defining the goals for development projects, and working closely with all stakeholders. As the product owner, you are responsible for ensuring that the development team maintains a consistent vision and overseeing the product backlog. You are also expected to supervise the actual product development stages and anticipate the needs of clients.
Engineering managers and product owners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Manager | Product Owner | |
| Average salary | $139,328 | $97,070 |
| Salary range | Between $99,000 And $195,000 | Between $71,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Mixpanel | ORIX USA |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an engineering manager and a product owner in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Manager | Product Owner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between engineering managers' and product owners' demographics:
| Engineering Manager | Product Owner | |
| Average age | 48 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% | Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.2% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 10% |