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The differences between project management engineers and senior project engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a project management engineer, becoming a senior project engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior project engineer has an average salary of $97,803, which is higher than the $80,337 average annual salary of a project management engineer.
The top three skills for a project management engineer include project management, management system and HVAC. The most important skills for a senior project engineer are project management, construction management, and CAD.
| Project Management Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,337 | $97,803 |
| Hourly rate | $38.62 | $47.02 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 145,104 | 146,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A project management engineer oversees technical and engineering projects, ensuring operations adhere to standards and guidelines. They design and develop solutions to optimize the daily project operations, conduct regular assessments and inspections, create administrative plans, set objectives, establish timelines, and supervise the performance of the workforce, providing support as needed. Moreover, as a project management engineer, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach goals, all while implementing safety policies and regulations for a safe and efficient workflow.
A senior project engineer is responsible for monitoring the project team's overall process and operations from conceptualization until completion, ensuring the adherence to the clients' specifications, within the budget's goals, and the required deadline. Senior project engineers regularly communicate with the client regarding updates or necessary adjustments. They develop strategic procedures to finish the project efficiently by running diagnostic tests and troubleshooting discrepancies. A senior project engineer must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the team's performance and provide assistance when necessary.
Project management engineers and senior project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Management Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $80,337 | $97,803 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $116,000 | Between $77,000 And $124,000 |
| Highest paying City | Belmont, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Maryland |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a project management engineer and a senior project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Project Management Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between project management engineers' and senior project engineers' demographics:
| Project Management Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% | Male, 84.4% Female, 15.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 12.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 14.8% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |