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The differences between project development engineers and manufacturing 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 project development engineer, becoming a manufacturing engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a project development engineer has an average salary of $85,059, which is higher than the $78,522 average annual salary of a manufacturing engineer.
The top three skills for a project development engineer include renewable energy, project management and cost estimates. The most important skills for a manufacturing engineer are lean manufacturing, CAD, and solidworks.
| Project Development Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,059 | $78,522 |
| Hourly rate | $40.89 | $37.75 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 120,300 | 115,384 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A project development engineer designs and develops projects according to the client or company's goals and requirements. They typically perform extensive research and analysis, establish prototypes and test structures, coordinate with fellow experts, and study existing projects to identify their strengths and weaknesses, implementing solutions against problem areas. They may also provide technical guidance and support to staff, train junior engineers, and develop strategies to optimize project operations. Moreover, a project development engineer must maintain an active communication line with teams while enforcing safety policies and project regulations.
Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for handling and developing an efficient manufacturing system or procedure that will help a company produce up to standard products while in adherence to the policies, regulations, and expected cost and schedule. Furthermore, Manufacturing Engineers must also monitor quality control, identify or detect errors, provide and suggest improvements, oversee the procurement of materials involved in the production, and coordinate with various teams or departments within the company to ensure the effectiveness of innovations or new developments.
Project development engineers and manufacturing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Development Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,059 | $78,522 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $110,000 | Between $60,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | California |
| Best paying company | Cheniere Energy | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a project development engineer and a manufacturing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Project Development Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between project development engineers' and manufacturing engineers' demographics:
| Project Development Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.5% Female, 15.5% | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.7% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 17.0% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |