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The differences between lead product engineers and staff 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 staff engineer. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, 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 staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Lead Product Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $105,767 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $50.85 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 149,514 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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.
Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations. Other duties include designing and developing machinery, tools, and engines, solving design problems, and building the manufacturing equipment needed to create their products.
Lead product engineers and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Product Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $105,767 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $137,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Flexport |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a lead product engineer and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Product Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between lead product engineers' and staff engineers' demographics:
| Lead Product Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| 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, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |