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The differences between manufacturing engineers lead and quality 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 quality engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a manufacturing engineer lead has an average salary of $88,937, which is higher than the $79,672 average annual salary of a quality engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing engineer lead include lean manufacturing, sigma and CAD. The most important skills for a quality engineer are corrective action, continuous improvement, and ISO.
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,937 | $79,672 |
| Hourly rate | $42.76 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 74,287 | 96,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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 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 engineers lead and quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,937 | $79,672 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $112,000 | Between $61,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing engineer lead and a quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing engineers lead' and quality engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |