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The differences between principal project engineers and planning 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 principal project engineer and a planning engineer. Additionally, a principal project engineer has an average salary of $122,090, which is higher than the $82,521 average annual salary of a planning engineer.
The top three skills for a principal project engineer include project management, program management and DOD. The most important skills for a planning engineer are project management, infrastructure, and transmission planning.
| Principal Project Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $122,090 | $82,521 |
| Hourly rate | $58.70 | $39.67 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 95,718 | 56,792 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A principal project engineer spearheads and oversees engineering projects, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. It is their duty to set guidelines and objectives, provide technical and engineering support to various teams, gather and analyze data, identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing procedures, implement solutions against problem areas, and conducting inspections to ensure that all processes adhere to the company's quality standards and safety regulations, including the state and industry laws. Moreover, as a principal project engineer, it is essential to monitor the progress of all operations, training junior engineers when necessary.
A planning engineer is in charge of developing plans and systems to organize and schedule project procedures, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. Their responsibilities revolve around learning and understanding the extent of all operations, setting schedules and objectives, liaising with external parties such as vendors or distributors, and maintaining an active communication line with other departments. Furthermore, a planning engineer must monitor the progress of the workflow and the performance of the workforce, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Principal project engineers and planning engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Project Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Average salary | $122,090 | $82,521 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $200,000 | Between $61,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | Houston, TX | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Texas | California |
| Best paying company | Alphanumeric | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Energy |
There are a few differences between a principal project engineer and a planning engineer in terms of educational background:
| Principal Project Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between principal project engineers' and planning engineers' demographics:
| Principal Project Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.7% Female, 11.3% | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 15.6% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |