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The differences between manufacturing test engineers and senior manufacturing 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 senior manufacturing engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a manufacturing test engineer has an average salary of $98,285, which is higher than the $93,853 average annual salary of a senior manufacturing engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing test engineer include test equipment, labview and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a senior manufacturing engineer are lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and sigma.
| Manufacturing Test Engineer | Senior Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $98,285 | $93,853 |
| Hourly rate | $47.25 | $45.12 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 64,188 | 97,154 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
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 Senior Manufacturing Engineer works in a company's production operations and is responsible for developing and improving manufacturing processes. They analyze and propose solutions to engineering problems.
Manufacturing test engineers and senior manufacturing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Test Engineer | Senior Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $98,285 | $93,853 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $134,000 | Between $71,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing test engineer and a senior manufacturing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Test Engineer | Senior Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing test engineers' and senior manufacturing engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Test Engineer | Senior Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| 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, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 17.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |