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The differences between senior mechanical project engineers and product engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior mechanical project engineer and a product engineer. Additionally, a product engineer has an average salary of $89,645, which is higher than the $84,631 average annual salary of a senior mechanical project engineer.
The top three skills for a senior mechanical project engineer include project management, CAD and solidworks. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Senior Mechanical Project Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,631 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $40.69 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 101,563 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior mechanical project engineer designs, researches, builds, tests, and improves systems, equipment, electrical devices, and mechanical devices. They design various machines such as engines, turbines, and generators using CAD software. They develop design prototypes, allocate time and resources as needed, and evaluate data to create reports. These professionals communicate with clients, directors, and staff and attend meetings to provide inputs and updates. Moreover, senior mechanical project engineers deliver safe and useful products within budget and on time.
A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Senior mechanical project engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Mechanical Project Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $84,631 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $107,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Texas | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior mechanical project engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Mechanical Project Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior mechanical project engineers' and product engineers' demographics:
| Senior Mechanical Project Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.2% Female, 5.8% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 15.0% White, 68.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |