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The differences between lead product engineers and principal 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 principal engineer. Additionally, a principal engineer has an average salary of $130,213, which is higher than the $105,767 average annual salary of a lead product engineer.
The top three skills for a lead product engineer include java, solidworks and software development. The most important skills for a principal engineer are java, architecture, and python.
| Lead Product Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $105,767 | $130,213 |
| Hourly rate | $50.85 | $62.60 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 149,514 | 312,683 |
| 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 principal engineer is responsible for monitoring the overall design phase of the construction process, including coordinating with the client for progress and updates, as well as performing adjustments as needed based on clients' specifications and requirements. Principal engineers also inspect the materials and resources used to ensure that the project stays within the budget goals and set timeframe. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in preparing reports and training new staff.
Lead product engineers and principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Product Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $105,767 | $130,213 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $137,000 | Between $95,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Grubhub |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a lead product engineer and a principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Product Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between lead product engineers' and principal engineers' demographics:
| Lead Product Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| 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, 16.6% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |