What does a principal manufacturing engineer do?
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.
Principal manufacturing engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real principal manufacturing engineer resumes:
- Lead the machining Kaizen that re-arrange five CNC machines and four work stations.
- Manage development and launch of on line QC system, and real time PC base SPC.
- Implement a KANBAN system for manufacturing which reduce wasteful production activities and achieve labor reductions.
- Audit suppliers towards conformance to ISO and CGMP requirements.
- Develop financial evaluations of potential major capital investment projects and provide documentation of investment vs payback to companies Sr.
- Train on GMP policies and procedures.
- Implement a KANBAN system for manufacturing which reduce wasteful production activities and achieve labor reductions.
Principal manufacturing engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Principal Manufacturing Engineers are proficient in CAD, Continuous Improvement, and Process Control. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Listening skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Principal Manufacturing Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CAD, 8%
Establish and manage of the Allegro CAD parts library for schematic capture in conjunction with layout house.
- Continuous Improvement, 7%
Focus on Continuous Improvement to reduce defects, improve yield, and minimize variance between lots.
- Process Control, 7%
Developed & implemented automated process control in recording head machining area.
- Product Quality, 6%
Work on the manufacturing process to improve the product quality, productivity and cost reduction of the product.
- Project Management, 5%
Received Siemens issued Project Management Institute based certification in Project Management.
- Lean Manufacturing, 5%
Implemented product re-designs for automation and Lean manufacturing.
"cad," "continuous improvement," and "process control" are among the most common skills that principal manufacturing engineers use at work. You can find even more principal manufacturing engineer responsibilities below, including:
Creativity. The most essential soft skill for a principal manufacturing engineer to carry out their responsibilities is creativity. This skill is important for the role because "industrial engineers use creativity and ingenuity to design new production processes in many kinds of settings in order to reduce the use of material resources, time, or labor while accomplishing the same goal." Additionally, a principal manufacturing engineer resume shows how their duties depend on creativity: "designed creative gages and created procedures for broach cost reductions. "
Listening skills. Another essential skill to perform principal manufacturing engineer duties is listening skills. Principal manufacturing engineers responsibilities require that "these engineers often operate in teams, but they also must solicit feedback from customers, vendors, and production staff." Principal manufacturing engineers also use listening skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "communicated with outside vendors and customers regarding new product development and new tool design. "
Math skills. principal manufacturing engineers are also known for math skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to principal manufacturing engineer responsibilities, because "industrial engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." A principal manufacturing engineer resume example shows how math skills is used in the workplace: "trained on doe, statistics for engineers and current good manufacturing practice (cgmp). "
Problem-solving skills. A big part of what principal manufacturing engineers do relies on "problem-solving skills." You can see how essential it is to principal manufacturing engineer responsibilities because "in designing facilities for manufacturing and processes for providing services, these engineers deal with several issues at once, from workers’ safety to quality assurance." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical principal manufacturing engineer tasks: "resolved quality issues using swat team, 8d coorection action, spc charting and why-why analysis. "
Speaking skills. Another crucial skill for a principal manufacturing engineer to carry out their responsibilities is "speaking skills." A big part of what principal manufacturing engineers relies on this skill, since "industrial engineers sometimes have to explain their instructions to production staff or technicians before they can make written instructions available." How this skill relates to principal manufacturing engineer duties can be seen in an example from a principal manufacturing engineer resume snippet: "prepared and presented design for machining in the product development process at national manufacturing week conference. "
Writing skills. Lastly, "writing skills" is an important element of what a principal manufacturing engineer does. Principal manufacturing engineer responsibilities require this skill because "industrial engineers must prepare documentation for other engineers or scientists, or for future reference." This resume example highlights how principal manufacturing engineer duties rely on this skill: "experienced in vantagesoftware for developing and writing boms and travelers. "
The three companies that hire the most principal manufacturing engineers are:
- Northrop Grumman53 principal manufacturing engineers jobs
- Raytheon Technologies10 principal manufacturing engineers jobs
- ZS6 principal manufacturing engineers jobs
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Compare different principal manufacturing engineers
Principal manufacturing engineer vs. Engineer
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a principal manufacturing engineer are more likely to require skills like "continuous improvement," "process control," "product quality," and "lean manufacturing." On the other hand, a job as an engineer requires skills like "python," "cloud," "c++," and "c #." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Engineers earn the highest salaries when working in the automotive industry, with an average yearly salary of $97,672. On the other hand, principal manufacturing engineers are paid more in the automotive industry with an average salary of $91,297.The education levels that engineers earn slightly differ from principal manufacturing engineers. In particular, engineers are 6.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a principal manufacturing engineer. Additionally, they're 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Principal manufacturing engineer vs. Lead design engineer
A Lead Design Engineer produces design solutions that can be purchased, installed, and commissioned effectively. They are also responsible for the cost-effectiviness and safety of new designs.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that principal manufacturing engineer responsibilities requires skills like "continuous improvement," "process control," "product quality," and "lean manufacturing." But a lead design engineer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "lead design," "fea," "ul," and "system design."
On average, lead design engineers earn a higher salary than principal manufacturing engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, lead design engineers earn the most pay in the agriculture industry with an average salary of $112,898. Whereas principal manufacturing engineers have higher pay in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $91,297.lead design engineers earn lower levels of education than principal manufacturing engineers in general. They're 6.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for principal manufacturing engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Jerry Leth
VP/General Manager, MANA
Principal manufacturing engineer vs. Senior process engineer
A Senior Process Engineer assesses a process efficiency, effectiveness, safety, and quality. They also conduct process improvement initiatives and custom product developments.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from principal manufacturing engineer resumes include skills like "cad," "process control," "spc," and "solidworks," whereas a senior process engineer is more likely to list skills in "data analysis," "process design," "sr," and "gmp. "
Senior process engineers make a very good living in the energy industry with an average annual salary of $107,116. On the other hand, principal manufacturing engineers are paid the highest salary in the automotive industry, with average annual pay of $91,297.senior process engineers typically earn similar educational levels compared to principal manufacturing engineers. Specifically, they're 1.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 4.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Principal manufacturing engineer vs. Senior staff engineer
A senior staff engineer is responsible for supervising a team of engineers, chemists, software developers, or molecular biologists. His/Her or her responsibilities include generating Structured Query Language (SQL) performance audit checklist template, creating SQL data query routines and functions for data extraction, and working directly with stakeholders. The job requires strong mechanical, listening, and mathematical skills and proficiency in Python programming language and computer architecture and hardware. The education requirements for the job include a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering, business, mechanical engineering, or a related field.
Types of principal manufacturing engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
