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The differences between lead product engineers and design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a lead product engineer and a design engineer. Additionally, a lead product engineer has an average salary of $105,767, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a lead product engineer include java, solidworks and software development. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Lead Product Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $105,767 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $50.85 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 149,514 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A lead product engineer designs and develops products and their manufacturing process. As a lead product engineer, you will oversee the product's transition from design to manufacture. It is your duty to create and test product prototypes and source materials needed to build these prototypes. Other duties that you will perform include working closely with the product development team and ensuring all products meet safety policies. Additionally, you will also be responsible for providing product engineer support and maintaining product technical documentation.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Lead product engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Product Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $105,767 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $137,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead product engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Product Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between lead product engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Lead Product Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.2% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |