Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between junior process engineers and project lead engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a junior process engineer and a project lead engineer. Additionally, a project lead engineer has an average salary of $106,946, which is higher than the $69,606 average annual salary of a junior process engineer.
The top three skills for a junior process engineer include p id, lean manufacturing and sigma. The most important skills for a project lead engineer are project management, renewable energy, and project execution.
| Junior Process Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $69,606 | $106,946 |
| Hourly rate | $33.46 | $51.42 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 63,010 | 98,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Typically working in the manufacturing industry, a junior process engineer is in charge of designing and developing procedures to optimize manufacturing operations. Among their responsibilities include understanding and identifying the needs of the company, gathering and analyzing data, developing prototypes and test structures, managing budgets and timelines, and producing regular progress reports. They may also assess existing systems and procedures, recommending solutions against problem areas. Furthermore, as a junior process engineer, it is essential to provide support to staff while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Project lead engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for leading other professionals in completing a particular project. These engineers must develop a project management framework to be implemented throughout the organization based on the inputs from internal stakeholders and team members. They are required to train junior team members so that they can provide proper technical support functions. Project lead engineers must also prepare and review cost estimates for a variety of projects during bidding, construction, and post-construction phases.
Junior process engineers and project lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Process Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $69,606 | $106,946 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $91,000 | Between $78,000 And $146,000 |
| Highest paying City | Pasadena, TX | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Sargent & Lundy | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a junior process engineer and a project lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Junior Process Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Chemical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between junior process engineers' and project lead engineers' demographics:
| Junior Process Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.5% Female, 19.5% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.1% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 15.2% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |