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The differences between packaging 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 packaging engineer and a project lead engineer. Additionally, a project lead engineer has an average salary of $106,946, which is higher than the $88,452 average annual salary of a packaging engineer.
The top three skills for a packaging engineer include CAD, project management and solidworks. The most important skills for a project lead engineer are project management, renewable energy, and project execution.
| Packaging Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,452 | $106,946 |
| Hourly rate | $42.52 | $51.42 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 54,028 | 98,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Packaging Engineer plans and implements packaging designs to ensure product integrity and appeal. Their primary duties include supervising and managing the complete packaging development process, analyzing engineering drawings, and conducting periodic vendor reviews.
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.
Packaging engineers and project lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Packaging Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,452 | $106,946 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $118,000 | Between $78,000 And $146,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a packaging engineer and a project lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Packaging Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Engineering And Industrial Management | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between packaging engineers' and project lead engineers' demographics:
| Packaging Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.1% Female, 22.9% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 13.1% White, 67.0% 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% |