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Product applications engineer vs sales engineering manager

The differences between product applications engineers and sales engineering managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a product applications engineer and a sales engineering manager. Additionally, a sales engineering manager has an average salary of $122,397, which is higher than the $101,877 average annual salary of a product applications engineer.

The top three skills for a product applications engineer include technical support, product line and RF. The most important skills for a sales engineering manager are cloud, pre sales, and customer satisfaction.

Product applications engineer vs sales engineering manager overview

Product Applications EngineerSales Engineering Manager
Yearly salary$101,877$122,397
Hourly rate$48.98$58.84
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs101,218143,055
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age4444
Years of experience66

What does a product applications engineer do?

A product applications engineer's job is to determine business needs and develop solutions with product managers and address customer queries and issues promptly. They typically address customer questions and issues in a timely manner. They communicate feedback from customers to the design team and provide post-sales support to make suitable modifications in product design. Moreover, it is part of their responsibility to evaluate new software products, check defects, conduct internal application trials for verification, and maintain accurate documentation of problems related to applications, including solutions.

What does a sales engineering manager do?

A sales engineering manager specializes in developing systems and procedures to optimize a company's sales operations, aiming for client satisfaction and profit growth. It is their duty to set goals and timelines, establish guidelines, manage different teams, research new business and client opportunities, gather and analyze data to identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing operations, develop sales strategies, and implement solutions against problem areas. Moreover, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach goals while enforcing and promoting the company's policies and regulations.

Product applications engineer vs sales engineering manager salary

Product applications engineers and sales engineering managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Product Applications EngineerSales Engineering Manager
Average salary$101,877$122,397
Salary rangeBetween $75,000 And $138,000Between $89,000 And $167,000
Highest paying CityMountain View, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaVirginia
Best paying companyGoogleGoogle
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between product applications engineer and sales engineering manager education

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

Product Applications EngineerSales Engineering Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityStanford University

Product applications engineer vs sales engineering manager demographics

Here are the differences between product applications engineers' and sales engineering managers' demographics:

Product Applications EngineerSales Engineering Manager
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 89.4% Female, 10.6%Male, 93.0% Female, 7.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.6% Asian, 11.1% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 1.7% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 6.1% White, 77.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between product applications engineer and sales engineering manager duties and responsibilities

Product applications engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage the manufacturing of defense and aerospace electro-mechanical print circuit boards from prototype to production level.
  • Analyze and debug digital and RF hardware and systems in-house and at customer sites.
  • Work on XML base integration for data exchange between OTM and client applications.
  • Support transactions include legacy systems, DLMS EDI and XML formats as well as custom XML.
  • Assist in wide variety of technical assessments of OEM customer requirements in support of sales and business development activities.
  • Design an automatic gain control algorithm (AGC) for LTE base station receivers along with other RF performance improvement techniques.
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Sales engineering manager example responsibilities.

  • Develop and implement OEM SaaS hosting model with ISP/ASP partners which lead to new revenue and partnership opportunities.
  • Coordinate and manage installation of VoIP & networking solutions.
  • Manage RFP technical responses for large computer and/or telecommunication projects.
  • Lead team of sales engineers to provide B2B host solutions and SaaS.
  • Architect solution for either a cloud or hybrid hosting model depending on customer needs.
  • Provide technical support/consultation for sales staff and channel partners with regards to deploying various IP services.
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Product applications engineer vs sales engineering manager skills

Common product applications engineer skills
  • Technical Support, 8%
  • Product Line, 7%
  • RF, 5%
  • Product Design, 4%
  • Trade Shows, 3%
  • Solidworks, 3%
Common sales engineering manager skills
  • Cloud, 11%
  • Pre Sales, 10%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 10%
  • Post Sales, 6%
  • Business Development, 5%
  • Sales Process, 5%