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The differences between principal quality 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 quality engineer and a planning engineer. Additionally, a principal quality engineer has an average salary of $103,677, which is higher than the $82,521 average annual salary of a planning engineer.
The top three skills for a principal quality engineer include sigma, corrective action and ISO. The most important skills for a planning engineer are project management, infrastructure, and transmission planning.
| Principal Quality Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $103,677 | $82,521 |
| Hourly rate | $49.84 | $39.67 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 120,965 | 56,792 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Principal quality engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for providing quality engineering support and technical guidance to help the quality activities of a project. They are required to supervise the quality management system to monitor the progress of projects and ensure their timely deliveries. They must provide quality assurance (QA) solutions while evaluating the efficiency of their existing QA processes. Principal quality engineers must also identify technical risks and challenges by suggesting corrective actions and QA process improvements.
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 quality engineers and planning engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Quality Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Average salary | $103,677 | $82,521 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $133,000 | Between $61,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Palo Alto Networks | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a principal quality engineer and a planning engineer in terms of educational background:
| Principal Quality Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | New York University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between principal quality engineers' and planning engineers' demographics:
| Principal Quality Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.0% Female, 19.0% | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.4% White, 65.8% 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% |