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The differences between manufacturing project engineers and quality 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 quality engineer. Additionally, a manufacturing project engineer has an average salary of $82,447, which is higher than the $79,672 average annual salary of a quality engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing project engineer include project management, lean manufacturing and capital projects. The most important skills for a quality engineer are corrective action, continuous improvement, and ISO.
| Manufacturing Project Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,447 | $79,672 |
| Hourly rate | $39.64 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 70,267 | 96,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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.
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 project engineers and quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Project Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,447 | $79,672 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $113,000 | Between $61,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fremont, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | Cirrus Aircraft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Education | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing project engineer and a quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Project Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing project engineers' and quality engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Project Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |