Process engineering manager vs process improvement manager

The differences between process engineering managers and process improvement managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a process engineering manager, becoming a process improvement manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a process engineering manager has an average salary of $124,640, which is higher than the $105,454 average annual salary of a process improvement manager.

The top three skills for a process engineering manager include project management, sigma and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for a process improvement manager are sigma, lean six sigma, and project management.

Process engineering manager vs process improvement manager overview

	Process Engineering Manager	Process Improvement Manager
Yearly salary	$124,640	$105,454
Hourly rate	$59.92	$50.70
Growth rate	2%	6%
Number of jobs	87,396	177,168
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	48	44
Years of experience	-	6

What does a process engineering manager do?

A process engineering manager is responsible for evaluating the production and manufacturing processes and identify areas of improvement to enhance the quality of deliverables and maximize the staff's productivity. Process engineering managers develop cost-efficient techniques and resources that would meet the budget limitations and business requirements. They also handle the resolution for process failures and coordinate with the process engineers for immediate solutions to avoid its reoccurrence. A process engineering manager must have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills, especially in determining opportunities that would enhance efficiency and result in more outputs.

What does a process improvement manager do?

Process Improvement Managers oversee the operational processes of the company. These processes are usually related to production, sales, marketing, human resources, or finance. Process Improvement Managers are in charge of creating policies and procedures to guide the company's different departments. They analyze related data and craft recommendations to improve the procedures. They ensure that their recommendations lead to higher efficiency. Process Improvement Managers also ensure that these new processes are implemented properly and yield results.

Process engineering manager vs process improvement manager salary

Process engineering managers and process improvement managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Process Engineering Manager	Process Improvement Manager
Average salary	$124,640	$105,454
Salary range	Between $94,000 And $165,000	Between $80,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Emergent BioSolutions	Meta
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between process engineering manager and process improvement manager education

There are a few differences between a process engineering manager and a process improvement manager in terms of educational background:

	Process Engineering Manager	Process Improvement Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Chemical Engineering	Business
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Pennsylvania

Process engineering manager vs process improvement manager demographics

Here are the differences between process engineering managers' and process improvement managers' demographics:

	Process Engineering Manager	Process Improvement Manager
Average age	48	44
Gender ratio	Male, 85.7% Female, 14.3%	Male, 69.0% Female, 31.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 12.7% White, 71.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	9%	10%

Differences between process engineering manager and process improvement manager duties and responsibilities

Process engineering manager example responsibilities.

Manage QA for research orient development efforts and for high visibility, production focuse development efforts tie to revenue generation.
Support FDA regulatory and ISO requirements with QA department through process engineering and support of CAPA program.
Pioneer SPC program including implementation of methodologies for corrective action.
Ensure water systems are OSHA compliant.
Implement plant wide remediation plan to comply with FDA requirements.
Design, contract fabrication and testing of OSHA compliant safety harness anchors.

Process improvement manager example responsibilities.

Manage enterprise applications such as ERP, CRM and commissions calculating software.
Manage projects and require personnel utilizing PMI tools and best practices from project initiation to close down.
Lead department through SharePoint implementation.
Focus are process, resource management and governance improvement opportunities to achieve breakthrough performance.
Lead successful, on-time, and on budget implementation of antiquate plant systems infrastructure and manufacturing enterprise applications.
Coordinate product re-launch project to execute Kanban program achieving target inventory level requirements improving lead time reduction from 12wks to 2wks.

Process engineering manager vs process improvement manager skills

Common process engineering manager skills

Project Management, 9%
Sigma, 8%
Lean Manufacturing, 6%
Lean Six Sigma, 6%
R, 4%
Direct Reports, 3%

Common process improvement manager skills

Sigma, 15%
Lean Six Sigma, 13%
Project Management, 10%
Process Improvement, 8%
Kaizen, 3%
Value Stream, 3%

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Process Engineering Manager
Process Engineering Manager vs Process Improvement Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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