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The differences between manufacturing engineers lead and principal manufacturing engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a manufacturing engineer lead and a principal manufacturing engineer. Additionally, a principal manufacturing engineer has an average salary of $94,463, which is higher than the $88,937 average annual salary of a manufacturing engineer lead.
The top three skills for a manufacturing engineer lead include lean manufacturing, sigma and CAD. The most important skills for a principal manufacturing engineer are CAD, continuous improvement, and process control.
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Principal Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,937 | $94,463 |
| Hourly rate | $42.76 | $45.41 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 74,287 | 91,957 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Lead manufacturing engineers are responsible for assisting with new product expansion, product introduction, and pricing out planning for existing product lines alongside the implementation of engineering processes and principles. They help with the technical coordination between division and group leading manufacturing locations beyond the present site. Their duties include implementing manufacturing engineering to provide superior technical output promptly. Also, they fulfill technical subject matter competence, assist with the growth of organizational engineering or technical skills to reach the division and site strategies, as well as aid in the training for receiving and sending sites.
Principle Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for leading an organization's operations involved in reducing cost, increasing production capacity, and implementing new efficient processes. Their duties include developing production capacity cost and quality targets and implementing workforce utilization, workspace efficiency, workflow, and equipment layout. They also manage project milestones by working closely with internal groups and suppliers. Principle Manufacturing Engineers review production data gathered, supervise production process improvements, and assist in the accurate manufacturing documentation.
Manufacturing engineers lead and principal manufacturing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Principal Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,937 | $94,463 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $112,000 | Between $72,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | ZS | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing engineer lead and a principal manufacturing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Principal Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing engineers lead' and principal manufacturing engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Principal Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 17.2% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |