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The differences between principal manufacturing engineers and senior 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 senior quality engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior quality engineer has an average salary of $101,339, which is higher than the $94,463 average annual salary of a principal manufacturing engineer.
The top three skills for a principal manufacturing engineer include CAD, continuous improvement and process control. The most important skills for a senior quality engineer are continuous improvement, ISO, and corrective action.
| Principal Manufacturing Engineer | Senior Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,463 | $101,339 |
| Hourly rate | $45.41 | $48.72 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 91,957 | 88,333 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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 Senior Quality Engineer ensures that a company's goods meet the quality standards required. They may work in various industries, such as the automobile, textile, clothing, food, and electronics industries.
Principal manufacturing engineers and senior quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Manufacturing Engineer | Senior Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $94,463 | $101,339 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $122,000 | Between $78,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | ZS | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Professional |
There are a few differences between a principal manufacturing engineer and a senior quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Principal Manufacturing Engineer | Senior Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | New York University |
Here are the differences between principal manufacturing engineers' and senior quality engineers' demographics:
| Principal Manufacturing Engineer | Senior Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% | Male, 80.5% Female, 19.5% |
| 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, 4.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 12.9% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |