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The differences between lead product engineers and product leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a lead product engineer, becoming a product lead takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a product lead has an average salary of $118,828, 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 product lead are product management, project management, and architecture.
| Lead Product Engineer | Product Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $105,767 | $118,828 |
| Hourly rate | $50.85 | $57.13 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 149,514 | 95,557 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 10 |
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 lead is responsible for monitoring the development of new products and services of an organization, starting from brand conceptualization to official market release and distribution. Product leads identify effective product management by conducting data analysis and evaluating market statistics of customer demands. They coordinate with the clients on their specifications and requirements, including the budget limit and timely deliverables. A product lead manages the brand promotion on media platforms, creating content that adheres to the target audience.
Lead product engineers and product leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Product Engineer | Product Lead | |
| Average salary | $105,767 | $118,828 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $137,000 | Between $86,000 And $163,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a lead product engineer and a product lead in terms of educational background:
| Lead Product Engineer | Product Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between lead product engineers' and product leads' demographics:
| Lead Product Engineer | Product Lead | |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8% | Male, 71.1% Female, 28.9% |
| 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, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 10% |