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The differences between product development specialists and product engineers 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 development specialist and a product engineer. Additionally, a product engineer has an average salary of $89,645, which is higher than the $70,820 average annual salary of a product development specialist.
The top three skills for a product development specialist include product development, project management and R. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Product Development Specialist | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $70,820 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $34.05 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 120,487 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 37 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A product development specialist's role is to facilitate the development of efficient and high-quality products in a company. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing research and analysis to create business plans, devising strategies to optimize procedures, overseeing the workflow and the performance of the workforce, and establishing guidelines as needed. Furthermore, as a product development specialist, it is essential to coordinate and maintain an active communication line with the rest of the workforce, all while implementing the company's policies and goals.
A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Product development specialists and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Development Specialist | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $70,820 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $117,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Piscataway, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | California |
| Best paying company | Bloomberg | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product development specialist and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Product Development Specialist | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between product development specialists' and product engineers' demographics:
| Product Development Specialist | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 37 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.6% Female, 50.4% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.7% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 5% |