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The differences between junior project engineers and project lead engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a junior project engineer, becoming a project lead engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a project lead engineer has an average salary of $106,946, which is higher than the $70,878 average annual salary of a junior project engineer.
The top three skills for a junior project engineer include autocad, project management and powerpoint. The most important skills for a project lead engineer are project management, renewable energy, and project execution.
| Junior Project Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $70,878 | $106,946 |
| Hourly rate | $34.08 | $51.42 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 43,889 | 98,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A junior project engineer supervises laborers' work and assists in the management of the site. They lead the team members in project development and ensure all jobs are done correctly and punctually. They report any problem on-site to their immediate supervisor for resolution. They also prepare any needed technical documents for the approval of a superior or senior engineer.
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 project engineers and project lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Project Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $70,878 | $106,946 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $90,000 | Between $78,000 And $146,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hayward, CA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Lockheed Martin | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a junior project engineer and a project lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Junior Project Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Columbia University in the City of New York | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between junior project engineers' and project lead engineers' demographics:
| Junior Project Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.3% Female, 19.7% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 | 5% | 4% |