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The differences between project lead engineers and production 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 lead engineer and a production engineer. Additionally, a project lead engineer has an average salary of $106,946, which is higher than the $89,727 average annual salary of a production engineer.
The top three skills for a project lead engineer include project management, renewable energy and project execution. The most important skills for a production engineer are java, continuous improvement, and lean manufacturing.
| Project Lead Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $106,946 | $89,727 |
| Hourly rate | $51.42 | $43.14 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 98,018 | 94,789 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Project lead engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for leading other professionals in completing a particular project. These engineers must develop a project management framework to be implemented throughout the organization based on the inputs from internal stakeholders and team members. They are required to train junior team members so that they can provide proper technical support functions. Project lead engineers must also prepare and review cost estimates for a variety of projects during bidding, construction, and post-construction phases.
A production engineer is responsible for monitoring the production operations, ensuring everyone's adherence to safety protocols, and evaluating the staff's performance, strategizing on maximizing productivity to deliver efficient results that would drive revenues and increase profitability. Production engineers inspect the reliability of production equipment and machinery, conducting preventive maintenance, and repair inconsistencies to prevent production delays. They also identify areas of improvement with the manufacturing processes and escalate best practices for improvement. A production engineer must be knowledgeable about technological advancements and incorporate ideas to minimize costs without sacrificing the quality of services.
Project lead engineers and production engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Lead Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Average salary | $106,946 | $89,727 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $146,000 | Between $64,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a project lead engineer and a production engineer in terms of educational background:
| Project Lead Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between project lead engineers' and production engineers' demographics:
| Project Lead Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 15.2% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.4% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |