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The differences between manufacturing project engineers and project lead 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 project engineer and a project lead engineer. Additionally, a project lead engineer has an average salary of $106,946, which is higher than the $82,447 average annual salary of a manufacturing project engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing project engineer include project management, lean manufacturing and capital projects. The most important skills for a project lead engineer are project management, renewable energy, and project execution.
| Manufacturing Project Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,447 | $106,946 |
| Hourly rate | $39.64 | $51.42 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 70,267 | 98,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A manufacturing project engineer specializes in designing and developing a variety of equipment and systems, ensuring compliance with the industry's laws and standards. It is their duty to determine and identify the needs of every project, conceptualize plans, coordinate with staff and other experts, create prototypes and test structures, and develop guidelines. They may also provide technical support, assess existing systems, and implement solutions when necessary. Furthermore, they must maintain an active communication line with the workforce while implementing the facility's safety policies and regulations.
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 project engineers and project lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Project Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,447 | $106,946 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $113,000 | Between $78,000 And $146,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fremont, CA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Cirrus Aircraft | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Education | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing project engineer and a project lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Project Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing project engineers' and project lead engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Project Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 12.7% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 4% | 4% |