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Product engineering manager vs product development manager

The differences between product engineering managers and product development 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 product engineering manager, becoming a product development manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a product engineering manager has an average salary of $125,592, which is higher than the $113,437 average annual salary of a product development manager.

The top three skills for a product engineering manager include project management, product management and product engineering. The most important skills for a product development manager are product development, project management, and lifecycle management.

Product engineering manager vs product development manager overview

Product Engineering ManagerProduct Development Manager
Yearly salary$125,592$113,437
Hourly rate$60.38$54.54
Growth rate2%10%
Number of jobs148,619166,871
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age4839
Years of experience-10

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.

What does a product development manager do?

A product development manager spearheads the development of new products within a company. Most of the time, their responsibilities revolve around conducting marketing research and analysis to determine consumers' needs, coordinating with the product development team to come up with new ideas, proposing business plans to the executives, and creating prototypes. A product development manager must also present a cost analysis, produce progress reports, and address inquiries and concerns. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the staff, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

Product engineering manager vs product development manager salary

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

Product Engineering ManagerProduct Development Manager
Average salary$125,592$113,437
Salary rangeBetween $90,000 And $174,000Between $84,000 And $152,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNevada
Best paying companyAirbnbMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyRetail

Differences between product engineering manager and product development manager education

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

Product Engineering ManagerProduct Development Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorMechanical EngineeringBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborUniversity of Georgia

Product engineering manager vs product development manager demographics

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

Product Engineering ManagerProduct Development Manager
Average age4839
Gender ratioMale, 91.7% Female, 8.3%Male, 62.2% Female, 37.8%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage9%10%

Differences between product engineering manager and product development manager duties and responsibilities

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.
  • Show more

Product development manager example responsibilities.

  • Used PLM tools to track, manage, and organize the development process.
  • Design front-end UX for e-tailor website, manage customer service tracking and CRM solutions.
  • Manage the entire development and implementation process for a $750K SaaS solution for education.
  • Lead acquisition of StudyinBritain.com, expanding client base to schools in the UK and Ireland.
  • Lead development of open API, blogs, custom video player, numerous sites, and internal applications.
  • Establish reliable and predictable agile process, with measure KPIs and quantitative metrics; manage release schedule and risk.
  • Show more

Product engineering manager vs product development manager skills

Common product engineering manager skills
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Product Management, 7%
  • Product Engineering, 7%
  • Product Line, 5%
  • Java, 5%
  • Continuous Improvement, 5%
Common product development manager skills
  • Product Development, 11%
  • Project Management, 9%
  • Lifecycle Management, 7%
  • Product Management, 6%
  • R, 5%
  • Customer Service, 4%

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