Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between principal quality engineers and process 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 process engineer. Additionally, a principal quality engineer has an average salary of $103,677, which is higher than the $82,443 average annual salary of a process engineer.
The top three skills for a principal quality engineer include sigma, corrective action and ISO. The most important skills for a process engineer are continuous improvement, sigma, and lean manufacturing.
| Principal Quality Engineer | Process Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $103,677 | $82,443 |
| Hourly rate | $49.84 | $39.64 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 120,965 | 66,937 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| 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 Process Engineer is responsible for coming up with innovative ways to process particular raw materials into different kinds of products. They can also modify various existing machines or maintain their quality by monitoring its functions and conducting tests and examinations. A Process Engineer must do numerous analyses and research to gather data that would help determine possible improvements or decisions to uphold. Furthermore, A Process Engineer also has the task of procuring and installing new equipment, collecting and interpreting data, assessing risks, and ensuring that tasks are done safely.
Principal quality engineers and process engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Quality Engineer | Process Engineer | |
| Average salary | $103,677 | $82,443 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $133,000 | Between $62,000 And $108,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | Rio Rancho, NM |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Mexico |
| Best paying company | Palo Alto Networks | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a principal quality engineer and a process engineer in terms of educational background:
| Principal Quality Engineer | Process Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Chemical Engineering |
| Most common college | New York University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between principal quality engineers' and process engineers' demographics:
| Principal Quality Engineer | Process Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.0% Female, 19.0% | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% |
| 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, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |