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The differences between process design engineers and project lead 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 design engineer and a project lead engineer. Additionally, a project lead engineer has an average salary of $106,946, which is higher than the $89,834 average annual salary of a process design engineer.
The top three skills for a process design engineer include project management, process engineering and CAD. The most important skills for a project lead engineer are project management, renewable energy, and project execution.
| Process Design Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,834 | $106,946 |
| Hourly rate | $43.19 | $51.42 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 93,788 | 98,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Process Design Engineer designs various products, including required calculation, component selection, and determining the methods of construction. They are responsible for the safety management of the projects.
Project lead engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for leading other professionals in completing a particular project. These engineers must develop a project management framework to be implemented throughout the organization based on the inputs from internal stakeholders and team members. They are required to train junior team members so that they can provide proper technical support functions. Project lead engineers must also prepare and review cost estimates for a variety of projects during bidding, construction, and post-construction phases.
Process design engineers and project lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Process Design Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,834 | $106,946 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $116,000 | Between $78,000 And $146,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | Texas | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a process design engineer and a project lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Process Design Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Chemical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between process design engineers' and project lead engineers' demographics:
| Process Design Engineer | Project Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 15.2% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 15.2% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |