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The differences between product quality engineers and senior product 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 senior product engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior product engineer has an average salary of $101,685, which is higher than the $94,173 average annual salary of a product quality engineer.
The top three skills for a product quality engineer include product quality, continuous improvement and sigma. The most important skills for a senior product engineer are java, product engineering, and continuous improvement.
| Product Quality Engineer | Senior Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,173 | $101,685 |
| Hourly rate | $45.28 | $48.89 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 152,621 | 145,781 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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 senior product engineer specializes in optimizing product designs and manufacturing procedures, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They are typically in charge of performing market research and analysis, utilizing the results as a basis in designing new products and upgrading existing designs. Moreover, they coordinate with product development teams to cultivate ideas, develop prototypes and test structures, and oversee the material selection that will make the products possible. As a senior product engineer, it is essential to monitor the entire progress and lead the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Product quality engineers and senior product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Quality Engineer | Senior Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $94,173 | $101,685 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $124,000 | Between $78,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Mountain View, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Cloudflare |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product quality engineer and a senior product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Product Quality Engineer | Senior Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between product quality engineers' and senior product engineers' demographics:
| Product Quality Engineer | Senior Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2% | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% |
| 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, 7.9% Asian, 17.2% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |