Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior industrial 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 senior industrial 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 $87,816 average annual salary of a senior industrial engineer.
The top three skills for a senior industrial engineer include project management, lean manufacturing and lean six sigma. The most important skills for a senior project engineer are project management, construction management, and CAD.
| Senior Industrial Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,816 | $97,803 |
| Hourly rate | $42.22 | $47.02 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 49,895 | 146,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A senior industrial engineer is a manufacturing professional who develops improvements and maintains the efficiency of a company's manufacturing processes. Senior industrial engineers are required to carry out feasibility analyses while developing new product designs and make modifications to the current designs. They collect data to identify opportunities to streamline, improve, and increase standardization as well as evaluate workflow to improve safety and efficiency. They must also facilitate cross-team interactions and train teams in quality assurance and other tasks.
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.
Senior industrial engineers and senior project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Industrial Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $87,816 | $97,803 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $113,000 | Between $77,000 And $124,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior industrial engineer and a senior project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Industrial Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Industrial Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | New York University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior industrial engineers' and senior project engineers' demographics:
| Senior Industrial Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8% | Male, 84.4% Female, 15.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 11.2% White, 67.6% 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% |