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The differences between project engineering managers and chief engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a project engineering manager, becoming a chief engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a project engineering manager has an average salary of $110,534, which is higher than the $108,050 average annual salary of a chief engineer.
The top three skills for a project engineering manager include project management, project scope and engineering design. The most important skills for a chief engineer are HVAC, plumbing, and customer service.
| Project Engineering Manager | Chief Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $110,534 | $108,050 |
| Hourly rate | $53.14 | $51.95 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 171,897 | 88,473 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
A project engineering manager's job is to oversee engineering projects in diverse industries, including transportation, software development, and utility industries. They are responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of intricate designs and evaluating and approving changes that may affect the scope, budget, and completion of a project. They also perform other essential tasks, including monitoring the project's progress and performance, developing maintenance plans, and preparing expenditure reports. Project engineering managers are also expected to resolve any issues that may arise from operations.
A chief engineer is responsible for monitoring the engineering department's overall operations, ensuring performance efficiency, and everyone's strict compliance with the safety standards and regulatory procedures. Chief engineers manage the distribution of the tasks to the team, communicate with the clients and management for instructions and specifications, monitor expenses and forecast sales reports, analyze and approve designs, negotiate contracts, and process disputes. A chief engineer must have excellent knowledge of the engineering disciplines and exemplary leadership skills to handle the team's performance towards the company's objectives.
Project engineering managers and chief engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Engineering Manager | Chief Engineer | |
| Average salary | $110,534 | $108,050 |
| Salary range | Between $79,000 And $153,000 | Between $65,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | BGC Partners |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a project engineering manager and a chief engineer in terms of educational background:
| Project Engineering Manager | Chief Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between project engineering managers' and chief engineers' demographics:
| Project Engineering Manager | Chief Engineer | |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% | Male, 96.2% Female, 3.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 12.0% White, 71.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 10.2% White, 71.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |