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The differences between lead product engineers and senior product 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 senior product engineer. Additionally, a lead product engineer has an average salary of $105,767, which is higher than the $101,685 average annual salary of a senior product engineer.
The top three skills for a lead product engineer include java, solidworks and software development. The most important skills for a senior product engineer are java, product engineering, and continuous improvement.
| Lead Product Engineer | Senior Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $105,767 | $101,685 |
| Hourly rate | $50.85 | $48.89 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 149,514 | 145,781 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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 senior product engineer specializes in optimizing product designs and manufacturing procedures, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They are typically in charge of performing market research and analysis, utilizing the results as a basis in designing new products and upgrading existing designs. Moreover, they coordinate with product development teams to cultivate ideas, develop prototypes and test structures, and oversee the material selection that will make the products possible. As a senior product engineer, it is essential to monitor the entire progress and lead the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Lead product engineers and senior product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Product Engineer | Senior Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $105,767 | $101,685 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $137,000 | Between $78,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Mountain View, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Cloudflare |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead product engineer and a senior product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Product Engineer | Senior Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between lead product engineers' and senior product engineers' demographics:
| Lead Product Engineer | Senior Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8% | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% |
| 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, 7.9% Asian, 17.2% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |