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The differences between manufacturing engineers lead and project lead 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 project lead engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a project lead engineer has an average salary of $106,946, 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 project lead engineer are project management, renewable energy, and project execution.
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,937 | $106,946 |
| Hourly rate | $42.76 | $51.42 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 74,287 | 98,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| 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.
Project lead engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for leading other professionals in completing a particular project. These engineers must develop a project management framework to be implemented throughout the organization based on the inputs from internal stakeholders and team members. They are required to train junior team members so that they can provide proper technical support functions. Project lead engineers must also prepare and review cost estimates for a variety of projects during bidding, construction, and post-construction phases.
Manufacturing engineers lead and project lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,937 | $106,946 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $112,000 | Between $78,000 And $146,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing engineer lead and a project lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing engineers lead' and project lead engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| 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, 10.4% Asian, 15.2% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |