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The differences between manufacturing engineers lead and process engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a manufacturing engineer lead, becoming a process engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a manufacturing engineer lead has an average salary of $88,937, which is higher than the $82,443 average annual salary of a process engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing engineer lead include lean manufacturing, sigma and CAD. The most important skills for a process engineer are continuous improvement, sigma, and lean manufacturing.
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Process Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,937 | $82,443 |
| Hourly rate | $42.76 | $39.64 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 74,287 | 66,937 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
A Process Engineer is responsible for coming up with innovative ways to process particular raw materials into different kinds of products. They can also modify various existing machines or maintain their quality by monitoring its functions and conducting tests and examinations. A Process Engineer must do numerous analyses and research to gather data that would help determine possible improvements or decisions to uphold. Furthermore, A Process Engineer also has the task of procuring and installing new equipment, collecting and interpreting data, assessing risks, and ensuring that tasks are done safely.
Manufacturing engineers lead and process engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Process Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,937 | $82,443 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $112,000 | Between $62,000 And $108,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Rio Rancho, NM |
| Highest paying state | California | New Mexico |
| Best paying company | Apple | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing engineer lead and a process engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Process Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Chemical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing engineers lead' and process engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Process Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% |
| 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, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 15.6% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |