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Project field engineer vs product design engineer

The differences between project field engineers and product design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a project field engineer and a product design engineer. Additionally, a product design engineer has an average salary of $94,827, which is higher than the $71,292 average annual salary of a project field engineer.

The top three skills for a project field engineer include shop drawings, project management and OSHA. The most important skills for a product design engineer are CAD, mechanical design, and GD.

Project field engineer vs product design engineer overview

Project Field EngineerProduct Design Engineer
Yearly salary$71,292$94,827
Hourly rate$34.27$45.59
Growth rate7%2%
Number of jobs78,589170,485
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4141
Years of experience66

What does a project field engineer do?

Field engineers are engineering professionals who work on-site in a different setting to direct workers and report to the management about the status of different projects. These engineers are required to resolve malfunctions or other crises such as construction or machinery problems while overseeing repairs and technical improvements. They must conduct research and studies on-site and installing new systems and technology to ensure smooth operations of machinery. Field engineers must also communicate with clients to discuss and determine the needs and explain complex issues of projects.

What does a product design engineer do?

A Product Design Engineer designs new products that customers will want to purchase. They are responsible for designing, modeling, and testing prototypes for products.

Project field engineer vs product design engineer salary

Project field engineers and product design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Project Field EngineerProduct Design Engineer
Average salary$71,292$94,827
Salary rangeBetween $56,000 And $90,000Between $69,000 And $129,000
Highest paying CityRoseville, CASan Mateo, CA
Highest paying stateOklahomaCalifornia
Best paying companyOHL USAMeta
Best paying industryEnergyTechnology

Differences between project field engineer and product design engineer education

There are a few differences between a project field engineer and a product design engineer in terms of educational background:

Project Field EngineerProduct Design Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorCivil EngineeringMechanical Engineering
Most common collegeColumbia University in the City of New YorkMichigan Technological University

Project field engineer vs product design engineer demographics

Here are the differences between project field engineers' and product design engineers' demographics:

Project Field EngineerProduct Design Engineer
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 91.1% Female, 8.9%Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 11.2% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.2% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between project field engineer and product design engineer duties and responsibilities

Project field engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage work orders utilizing client's MAXIMO and BSL system.
  • Manage document control including change orders, billings, RFI tracking, purchasing documentation and contract administration.
  • Manage and/or participate in a variety of water and wastewater assist company principles as engineering consultants for numerous municipal clients.
  • Obtain and evaluate geotechnical data at project sites.
  • Negotiate change-order work and prepare monthly project CPM updates.
  • Create and maintain change order logs on each project also maintaining RFI logs on all projects.
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Product design engineer example responsibilities.

  • Lead team members and shop floor personnel to correct all floor and inventory issues to insure BoM accuracy.
  • Manage automation projects including purchasing, scheduling fabrication and assembly, debugging, and delivery to customer.
  • Perform environmental testing, cost reductions, FMEA's, failure analysis, and successfully launch electronic control modules.
  • Provide design concepts, design analysis and prototyping solutions for parts and product assemblies to satisfy customer project requirements.
  • Create 3D and 2D models, designs, assemblies, drawing, BOM's and customer conceptual design packages.
  • Interpret UL documents for compatibility of products/specs.
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Project field engineer vs product design engineer skills

Common project field engineer skills
  • Shop Drawings, 10%
  • Project Management, 9%
  • OSHA, 7%
  • Construction Management, 7%
  • Field Supervision, 6%
  • Construction Projects, 5%
Common product design engineer skills
  • CAD, 15%
  • Mechanical Design, 5%
  • GD, 5%
  • Prototyping, 4%
  • Industrial Design, 4%
  • Creo, 4%

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