Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior process control 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 senior process control engineer and a production engineer. Additionally, a senior process control engineer has an average salary of $103,292, which is higher than the $89,727 average annual salary of a production engineer.
The top three skills for a senior process control engineer include PLC, DCS and control strategies. The most important skills for a production engineer are java, continuous improvement, and lean manufacturing.
| Senior Process Control Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $103,292 | $89,727 |
| Hourly rate | $49.66 | $43.14 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 68,538 | 94,789 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior process control engineer is charged with configuring, standardizing, and optimizing systems within the equipment control domain. They are tasked with defining system requirements, participating in configuring systems, liaising between end-users and system developers, and driving projects from stand to the end. They must also participate in the strategic direction of equipment control teams, production process improvements, and project implementation and prioritization. Their other responsibilities include partnering with technology experts to build progressive system solutions, planning training, and ensuring safety compliance.
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.
Senior process control engineers and production engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Process Control Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Average salary | $103,292 | $89,727 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $135,000 | Between $64,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Tesoro | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior process control engineer and a production engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Process Control Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between senior process control engineers' and production engineers' demographics:
| Senior Process Control Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.3% Female, 6.7% | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 15.0% White, 66.3% 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% |