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The differences between manufacturing development engineers and quality engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a manufacturing development engineer and a quality engineer. Additionally, a quality engineer has an average salary of $79,672, which is higher than the $77,888 average annual salary of a manufacturing development engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing development engineer include R, medical devices and sigma. The most important skills for a quality engineer are corrective action, continuous improvement, and ISO.
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $77,888 | $79,672 |
| Hourly rate | $37.45 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 105,577 | 96,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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 quality engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
Manufacturing development engineers and quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $77,888 | $79,672 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $105,000 | Between $61,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Lumileds | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing development engineer and a quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing development engineers' and quality engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.0% Female, 16.0% | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |