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The differences between product quality engineers and product development engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a product quality engineer, becoming a product development engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product quality engineer has an average salary of $94,173, which is higher than the $86,075 average annual salary of a product development engineer.
The top three skills for a product quality engineer include product quality, continuous improvement and sigma. The most important skills for a product development engineer are CAD, solidworks, and product development.
| Product Quality Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,173 | $86,075 |
| Hourly rate | $45.28 | $41.38 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 152,621 | 202,155 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A product quality engineer is responsible for conducting quality check procedures for outputs and manufacturing processes to ensure high-quality deliverables according to business requirements and client specifications. Product quality engineers implement quality assessment criteria with strict adherence to internal guidelines and regulatory policies. They inspect the tools and equipment used for the production and solve inconsistencies, recommending and writing process reports to prevent fault reoccurrence that may affect product standards and market quality and cause distribution delays.
A Product Development Engineer is responsible for creating and testing new product designs. They collaborate with market researchers to evaluate market needs, existing competition, and potential costs.
Product quality engineers and product development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Quality Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $94,173 | $86,075 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $124,000 | Between $64,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product quality engineer and a product development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Product Quality Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between product quality engineers' and product development engineers' demographics:
| Product Quality Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 15.1% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |