Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between production engineers and production managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a production engineer, becoming a production manager takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a production engineer has an average salary of $89,727, which is higher than the $78,064 average annual salary of a production manager.
The top three skills for a production engineer include java, continuous improvement and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for a production manager are continuous improvement, customer service, and quality standards.
| Production Engineer | Production Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $89,727 | $78,064 |
| Hourly rate | $43.14 | $37.53 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 94,789 | 95,561 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A production engineer is responsible for monitoring the production operations, ensuring everyone's adherence to safety protocols, and evaluating the staff's performance, strategizing on maximizing productivity to deliver efficient results that would drive revenues and increase profitability. Production engineers inspect the reliability of production equipment and machinery, conducting preventive maintenance, and repair inconsistencies to prevent production delays. They also identify areas of improvement with the manufacturing processes and escalate best practices for improvement. A production engineer must be knowledgeable about technological advancements and incorporate ideas to minimize costs without sacrificing the quality of services.
Production managers work in show business, whether in film, television shows, or theatre productions. They oversee the whole production and ensure that all agreements are met. They manage finances and budget allocation. They oversee the design of costumes and sets. They also manage the timeline of filming and ensure that the production or filming will finish within the agreed timeline. Production managers also ensure that all stakeholders are satisfied. They build meaningful working relationships with everyone involved, from directors to actors to crew members. They try to mitigate any potential challenges in the production budget and schedule.
Production engineers and production managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Engineer | Production Manager | |
| Average salary | $89,727 | $78,064 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $125,000 | Between $50,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Cheniere Energy | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a production engineer and a production manager in terms of educational background:
| Production Engineer | Production Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between production engineers' and production managers' demographics:
| Production Engineer | Production Manager | |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% | Male, 76.6% Female, 23.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.4% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 5.1% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 6% |