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The differences between lead product engineers and product development 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 product development engineer. Additionally, a lead product engineer has an average salary of $105,767, which is higher than the $86,075 average annual salary of a product development engineer.
The top three skills for a lead product engineer include java, solidworks and software development. The most important skills for a product development engineer are CAD, solidworks, and product development.
| Lead Product Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $105,767 | $86,075 |
| Hourly rate | $50.85 | $41.38 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 149,514 | 202,155 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| 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 Product Development Engineer is responsible for creating and testing new product designs. They collaborate with market researchers to evaluate market needs, existing competition, and potential costs.
Lead product engineers and product development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Product Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $105,767 | $86,075 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $137,000 | Between $64,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead product engineer and a product development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Product Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between lead product engineers' and product development engineers' demographics:
| Lead Product Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| 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, 16.7% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |