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The differences between manufacturing development engineers and design 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 manufacturing development engineer, becoming a design engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a manufacturing development engineer has an average salary of $77,888, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing development engineer include R, medical devices and sigma. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $77,888 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $37.45 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 105,577 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A manufacturing development engineer works to improve the process of making products. The responsibilities of this position are repairing equipment used in manufacturing, purchasing and installing manufacturing equipment, designing new procedures and systems, diagnosing problems with machinery, supervising other engineering and technical staff, and managing the budget for the development engineering staff. They are also responsible for designing, creating, and testing new products. This position requires a mechanical engineering or bioengineering degree.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Manufacturing development engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $77,888 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $105,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Lumileds | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing development engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing development engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.0% Female, 16.0% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 12.9% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |