Produce manager vs product engineering manager

The differences between produce managers and product engineering managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a produce manager, becoming a product engineering manager takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a product engineering manager has an average salary of $125,592, which is higher than the $37,310 average annual salary of a produce manager.

The top three skills for a produce manager include cleanliness, pallets and customer service. The most important skills for a product engineering manager are project management, product management, and product engineering.

Produce manager vs product engineering manager overview

	Produce Manager	Product Engineering Manager
Yearly salary	$37,310	$125,592
Hourly rate	$17.94	$60.38
Growth rate	-21%	2%
Number of jobs	157,993	148,619
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	43	48
Years of experience	6	-

What does a produce manager do?

A produce manager works at a grocery store and is responsible for maintaining and creating the produce display. Each grocery store has standard operating procedures for sales and production, and the produce manager has to work within those guidelines to improve the sales and net profit of the store. They help negotiate prices with suppliers, ensure that they deliver the best quality stock on time, prioritize, and place orders based on the demand for such items as organic or locally grown produce. The produce manager also timely provides pricing updates, and he/she or she supervises the placement of shelf tags.

What does a product engineering manager do?

A product engineering manager is primarily in charge of overseeing the development of products and procedures, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. In a manufacturing setting, their responsibilities include setting objectives, managing the budgets and schedules, coordinating engineers and specialists, implementing solutions in vulnerable areas, and developing strategies to optimize procedures. They must also monitor the progress of processes, resolving any issues promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a product engineering manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Produce manager vs product engineering manager salary

Produce managers and product engineering managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Produce Manager	Product Engineering Manager
Average salary	$37,310	$125,592
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $52,000	Between $90,000 And $174,000
Highest paying City	Los Angeles, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	California
Best paying company	Citi	Airbnb
Best paying industry	Retail	Technology

Differences between produce manager and product engineering manager education

There are a few differences between a produce manager and a product engineering manager in terms of educational background:

	Produce Manager	Product Engineering Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Produce manager vs product engineering manager demographics

Here are the differences between produce managers' and product engineering managers' demographics:

	Produce Manager	Product Engineering Manager
Average age	43	48
Gender ratio	Male, 74.1% Female, 25.9%	Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 6.4% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 2.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 14.8% White, 69.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between produce manager and product engineering manager duties and responsibilities

Produce manager example responsibilities.

Manage receipts, handling of perishables, co-packing and re-packing, maintenance and dispatch of goods.
Conduct quality control evaluations to ensure cleanliness and customer satisfaction.
Include all bread, ice cream, frozen foods, beer and wine, meat dept.
Balance monthly the FTD report, greet and serve the customers.
Lead the grocery, frozen, bulk, and beer and wine departments.
Break down pallets load with produce and stack them in the cooler where they belong.

Product engineering manager example responsibilities.

Design, build and manage the ParagusIT OpenStack base private cloud.
Lead global engineering team in pursuit of major European OEM's medium and heavy-duty axle business.
Manage and coordinate communication with SME teams during disasters.
Manage outsourced/contract vendors and suppliers including HVAC, elevators, electrical and mechanical systems.
Manage a group of engineers that design semi-custom commercial / industrial HVAC and refrigeration equipment.
Participate and lead multiple Kaizen events, including facility layout, productivity, system integration and setup reductions.

Produce manager vs product engineering manager skills

Common produce manager skills

Cleanliness, 13%
Pallets, 12%
Customer Service, 9%
Food Safety, 8%
Pallet Jack, 6%
Food Handling, 6%

Common product engineering manager skills

Project Management, 7%
Product Management, 7%
Product Engineering, 7%
Product Line, 5%
Java, 5%
Continuous Improvement, 5%

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Produce Manager
Produce Manager vs Product Engineering Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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