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The differences between principal manufacturing engineers and quality engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a principal manufacturing engineer, becoming a quality engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a principal manufacturing engineer has an average salary of $94,463, which is higher than the $79,672 average annual salary of a quality engineer.
The top three skills for a principal manufacturing engineer include CAD, continuous improvement and process control. The most important skills for a quality engineer are corrective action, continuous improvement, and ISO.
| Principal Manufacturing Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,463 | $79,672 |
| Hourly rate | $45.41 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 91,957 | 96,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Principle Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for leading an organization's operations involved in reducing cost, increasing production capacity, and implementing new efficient processes. Their duties include developing production capacity cost and quality targets and implementing workforce utilization, workspace efficiency, workflow, and equipment layout. They also manage project milestones by working closely with internal groups and suppliers. Principle Manufacturing Engineers review production data gathered, supervise production process improvements, and assist in the accurate manufacturing documentation.
A quality engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
Principal manufacturing engineers and quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Manufacturing Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $94,463 | $79,672 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $122,000 | Between $61,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | ZS | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a principal manufacturing engineer and a quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Principal Manufacturing Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between principal manufacturing engineers' and quality engineers' demographics:
| Principal Manufacturing Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 17.2% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |