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Pharmaceutical engineer vs production engineer

The differences between pharmaceutical engineers and production 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 pharmaceutical engineer and a production engineer. Additionally, a production engineer has an average salary of $89,727, which is higher than the $84,592 average annual salary of a pharmaceutical engineer.

The top three skills for a pharmaceutical engineer include PLC, process improvement and FDA. The most important skills for a production engineer are java, continuous improvement, and lean manufacturing.

Pharmaceutical engineer vs production engineer overview

Pharmaceutical EngineerProduction Engineer
Yearly salary$84,592$89,727
Hourly rate$40.67$43.14
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs38,65894,789
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

Pharmaceutical engineer vs production engineer salary

Pharmaceutical engineers and production engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Pharmaceutical EngineerProduction Engineer
Average salary$84,592$89,727
Salary rangeBetween $58,000 And $121,000Between $64,000 And $125,000
Highest paying CityFoster City, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonCalifornia
Best paying companyGilead SciencesCheniere Energy
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between pharmaceutical engineer and production engineer education

There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical engineer and a production engineer in terms of educational background:

Pharmaceutical EngineerProduction Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorChemical EngineeringMechanical Engineering
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborNorthwestern University

Pharmaceutical engineer vs production engineer demographics

Here are the differences between pharmaceutical engineers' and production engineers' demographics:

Pharmaceutical EngineerProduction Engineer
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 66.7% Female, 33.3%Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 10.5% White, 73.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.4% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between pharmaceutical engineer and production engineer duties and responsibilities

Pharmaceutical engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage overall validation programs for the GMP products at the manufacturing facility and the contract manufacturing company.
  • Participate in regulatory agency inspections (FDA, EU) as a subject matter expert and minimize findings.
  • Develop skills in process change control, aseptic technique and gowning, validation, FDA audits and writing manufacturing tickets.
  • Prepare installation qualification, operational qualification, and performance qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ) protocols and reports.
  • Expedite and simplify the quotation process for solar water heating systems by accurately representing solar water heating system performance through MATLAB models
  • Provide plant technical input for all modifications affecting EQ equipment.
  • Show more

Production engineer example responsibilities.

  • Prepare tooling and gauging for CNC turning centers, manage the tooling cabinets, and rapport with vendors for tool sharpening.
  • Complete DMAIC project and 8D that lead to the resolution of vibration issue, project result in a $2M save.
  • Lead work cells to become a team; Harmonize/unite/motivate assembly personnel using Kaizen approach.
  • Lead several independent, cross-functional projects and improve manufacturing quality, reduce cost, ensure environment are supported and FDA compliant.
  • Install new filtration systems for aluminum boring machine centers.
  • Have prepared and used FMEA, PPAP documents and perform MSA studies.
  • Show more

Pharmaceutical engineer vs production engineer skills

Common pharmaceutical engineer skills
  • PLC, 28%
  • Process Improvement, 26%
  • FDA, 17%
  • API, 10%
  • Process Equipment, 10%
  • Sops, 3%
Common production engineer skills
  • Java, 9%
  • Continuous Improvement, 7%
  • Lean Manufacturing, 5%
  • Sigma, 4%
  • Technical Support, 4%
  • Process Control, 4%

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