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The differences between lead product engineers and lead 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 lead engineer. Additionally, a lead product engineer has an average salary of $105,767, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for a lead product engineer include java, solidworks and software development. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Lead Product Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $105,767 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $50.85 | $40.83 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 149,514 | 301,777 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| 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 lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, assessing risks, monitoring the budget, coordinating with clients and architects, and even training workers. Furthermore, as a lead engineer, it is crucial to conduct regular inspections to ensure the quality of work and maintain a safe environment for all workers.
Lead product engineers and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Product Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $105,767 | $84,927 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $137,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a lead product engineer and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Product Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between lead product engineers' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Lead Product Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |