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The differences between manufacturing systems 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 systems engineer and a project lead engineer. Additionally, a project lead engineer has an average salary of $106,946, which is higher than the $84,708 average annual salary of a manufacturing systems engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing systems engineer include MES, SQL and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for a project lead engineer are project management, renewable energy, and project execution.
| Manufacturing Systems Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,708 | $106,946 |
| Hourly rate | $40.73 | $51.42 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 118,696 | 98,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A manufacturing systems engineer works to integrate entire manufacturing processes. The role of a manufacturing system engineer includes integrating a wide range of systems from production to supplies and sales, participating in a project from beginning to end, budgeting and performing resource allocation. They must also integrate the manufacturing process to allow for maximum production volume at lower costs and within a shorter time period.
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 systems engineers and project lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Systems Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $84,708 | $106,946 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $111,000 | Between $78,000 And $146,000 |
| Highest paying City | Berkeley, CA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Education | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing systems engineer and a project lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Systems Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing systems engineers' and project lead engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Systems Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.6% White, 65.6% 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% |