Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between industrial process engineers and process improvement engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an industrial process engineer and a process improvement engineer. Additionally, a process improvement engineer has an average salary of $82,473, which is higher than the $73,891 average annual salary of an industrial process engineer.
The top three skills for an industrial process engineer include process design, sigma and autocad. The most important skills for a process improvement engineer are lean six sigma, sigma, and project management.
| Industrial Process Engineer | Process Improvement Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $73,891 | $82,473 |
| Hourly rate | $35.52 | $39.65 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 59,144 | 55,438 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An industrial process Engineer develops, installs, and monitors the processes and pieces of equipment that transform raw materials into finished products. Besides researching and developing new equipment, industrial process engineers also monitor, test, and maintain equipment pieces in their working states. They complete documentation to indicate and ensure everything runs as per the highlighted protocols and regulations. These professionals ensure high productivity rates at all times by supervising industrial processes and working. Also, they update the industrial management and senior colleagues with data and reports.
A process improvement engineer specializes in conducting research and analysis to develop new strategies and ideas to improve the processes in a manufacturing plant or a similar setting. They prioritize efficiency and profitability. Most of the time, engineers participate in a series of meetings where they coordinate with fellow engineers to determine opportunities for product growth and development. Moreover, a process improvement engineer is also responsible for crafting new policies and regulations, upgrading systems, and developing new practices to ensure product quality and customer satisfaction.
Industrial process engineers and process improvement engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Industrial Process Engineer | Process Improvement Engineer | |
| Average salary | $73,891 | $82,473 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $94,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between an industrial process engineer and a process improvement engineer in terms of educational background:
| Industrial Process Engineer | Process Improvement Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Industrial Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | New York University |
Here are the differences between industrial process engineers' and process improvement engineers' demographics:
| Industrial Process Engineer | Process Improvement Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% | Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 13.8% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 10.5% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |