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The differences between lead quality engineers and product engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a lead quality engineer, becoming a product engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a lead quality engineer has an average salary of $104,296, which is higher than the $89,645 average annual salary of a product engineer.
The top three skills for a lead quality engineer include java, corrective action and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Lead Quality Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $104,296 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $50.14 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 81,952 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
Lead quality engineers are engineering professionals who manage a team of quality assurance professionals that ensure the overall quality of manufactured products. These engineers must create comprehensive test plans and test cases to ensure that the finished products have met the client requirements. They have to develop and implement quality standards and procedures while developing internal corrective actions after performing the internal processes audits. Lead quality engineers must also provide new product quality training to members of the quality control and production team.
A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Lead quality engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Quality Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $104,296 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $135,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead quality engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Quality Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between lead quality engineers' and product engineers' demographics:
| Lead Quality Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.6% Female, 23.4% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 15.2% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |