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The differences between quality engineers and product development 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 quality engineer, becoming a product development engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product development engineer has an average salary of $86,075, which is higher than the $79,672 average annual salary of a quality engineer.
The top three skills for a quality engineer include corrective action, continuous improvement and ISO. The most important skills for a product development engineer are CAD, solidworks, and product development.
| Quality Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $79,672 | $86,075 |
| Hourly rate | $38.30 | $41.38 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 96,838 | 202,155 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A quality engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
A Product Development Engineer is responsible for creating and testing new product designs. They collaborate with market researchers to evaluate market needs, existing competition, and potential costs.
Quality engineers and product development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $79,672 | $86,075 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $103,000 | Between $64,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a quality engineer and a product development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Quality Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between quality engineers' and product development engineers' demographics:
| Quality Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |