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Project field engineer vs product engineer

The differences between project field engineers and product 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 engineer. Additionally, a product engineer has an average salary of $89,645, 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 engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.

Project field engineer vs product engineer overview

Project Field EngineerProduct Engineer
Yearly salary$71,292$89,645
Hourly rate$34.27$43.10
Growth rate7%2%
Number of jobs78,589157,888
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 engineer do?

A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.

Project field engineer vs product engineer salary

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

Project Field EngineerProduct Engineer
Average salary$71,292$89,645
Salary rangeBetween $56,000 And $90,000Between $68,000 And $118,000
Highest paying CityRoseville, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateOklahomaCalifornia
Best paying companyOHL USAMeta
Best paying industryEnergyTechnology

Differences between project field engineer and product engineer education

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

Project Field EngineerProduct 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 engineer demographics

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

Project Field EngineerProduct Engineer
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 91.1% Female, 8.9%Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2%
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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between project field engineer and product 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.
  • Show more

Product engineer example responsibilities.

  • Lead team to achieve project objectives and report results to Sr. Management.
  • Manage outsourced $500k mix mode voice security IC development.
  • Manage various EHS activities at the Fremont, California facility.
  • Manage coordination of APQP, component timing, and technical resource allocation for commercial issues.
  • Manage the manufacturing of defense and aerospace electro-mechanical print circuit boards from prototype to production level.
  • Sketch concepts (Creo), coordinate prototype builds, provide assembly instructions and troubleshoot build issues.
  • Show more

Project field engineer vs product 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 engineer skills
  • CAD, 6%
  • Product Design, 5%
  • Project Management, 4%
  • C++, 4%
  • Solidworks, 3%
  • Product Development, 3%

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