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The differences between manufacturing test engineers and product development engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a manufacturing test engineer, becoming a product development engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a manufacturing test engineer has an average salary of $98,285, which is higher than the $86,075 average annual salary of a product development engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing test engineer include test equipment, labview and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a product development engineer are CAD, solidworks, and product development.
| Manufacturing Test Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $98,285 | $86,075 |
| Hourly rate | $47.25 | $41.38 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 64,188 | 202,155 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A manufacturing test engineer specializes in designing and developing test structures to ensure the quality of products according to the company's policies and standards. Their responsibilities include coordinating with the design team to determine test parameters, producing test documentation, troubleshooting, and performing quality assurance procedures. A manufacturing test engineer must also assess the existing test procedures to identify its strengths and weaknesses, implementing solutions as needed. Furthermore, they may assist the quality assurance teams in conducting tests, all while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
A Product Development Engineer is responsible for creating and testing new product designs. They collaborate with market researchers to evaluate market needs, existing competition, and potential costs.
Manufacturing test engineers and product development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Test Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $98,285 | $86,075 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $134,000 | Between $64,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing test engineer and a product development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Test Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing test engineers' and product development engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Test Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |