Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between project field engineers and project engineering managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a project field engineer, becoming a project engineering manager takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a project engineering manager has an average salary of $110,534, 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 project engineering manager are project management, project scope, and engineering design.
| Project Field Engineer | Project Engineering Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $71,292 | $110,534 |
| Hourly rate | $34.27 | $53.14 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 78,589 | 171,897 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
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.
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.
Project field engineers and project engineering managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Field Engineer | Project Engineering Manager | |
| Average salary | $71,292 | $110,534 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $90,000 | Between $79,000 And $153,000 |
| Highest paying City | Roseville, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oklahoma | California |
| Best paying company | OHL USA | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a project field engineer and a project engineering manager in terms of educational background:
| Project Field Engineer | Project Engineering Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Columbia University in the City of New York | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between project field engineers' and project engineering managers' demographics:
| Project Field Engineer | Project Engineering Manager | |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 12.0% White, 71.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 9% |