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The differences between process & automation engineers and senior quality 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 process & automation engineer and a senior quality engineer. Additionally, a senior quality engineer has an average salary of $101,339, which is higher than the $87,723 average annual salary of a process & automation engineer.
The top three skills for a process & automation engineer include PLC, project management and C++. The most important skills for a senior quality engineer are continuous improvement, ISO, and corrective action.
| Process & Automation Engineer | Senior Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,723 | $101,339 |
| Hourly rate | $42.17 | $48.72 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 66,311 | 88,333 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Process & automation engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for optimizing the industrial process of manufacturing companies while maintaining automated machinery used in the process. These engineers are required to manage process improvement projects that focus on cost reduction and increasing the profits of the company. They must use PLC/SCADA technologies to develop industrial automation and process control systems. Process & automation engineers must also conduct troubleshooting and maintenance activities to optimize the performance of all automated manufacturing machinery.
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.
Process & automation engineers and senior quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Process & Automation Engineer | Senior Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $87,723 | $101,339 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $110,000 | Between $78,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Cepheid | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Professional |
There are a few differences between a process & automation engineer and a senior quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Process & Automation Engineer | Senior Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | New York University |
Here are the differences between process & automation engineers' and senior quality engineers' demographics:
| Process & Automation Engineer | Senior Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7% | Male, 80.5% Female, 19.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 13.3% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 4% | 4% |