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The differences between project development engineers and planning engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a project development engineer and a planning engineer. Additionally, a project development engineer has an average salary of $85,059, which is higher than the $82,521 average annual salary of a planning engineer.
The top three skills for a project development engineer include renewable energy, project management and cost estimates. The most important skills for a planning engineer are project management, infrastructure, and transmission planning.
| Project Development Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,059 | $82,521 |
| Hourly rate | $40.89 | $39.67 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 120,300 | 56,792 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A planning engineer is in charge of developing plans and systems to organize and schedule project procedures, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. Their responsibilities revolve around learning and understanding the extent of all operations, setting schedules and objectives, liaising with external parties such as vendors or distributors, and maintaining an active communication line with other departments. Furthermore, a planning engineer must monitor the progress of the workflow and the performance of the workforce, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Project development engineers and planning engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Development Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,059 | $82,521 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $110,000 | Between $61,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | California |
| Best paying company | Cheniere Energy | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Energy |
There are a few differences between a project development engineer and a planning engineer in terms of educational background:
| Project Development Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between project development engineers' and planning engineers' demographics:
| Project Development Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.5% Female, 15.5% | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% |
| 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, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 15.6% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |