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The differences between senior product development engineers and lead 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 product development engineer and a lead engineer. Additionally, a senior product development engineer has an average salary of $98,348, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for a senior product development engineer include CAD, solidworks and product development. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $98,348 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $47.28 | $40.83 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 195,294 | 301,777 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A product development engineer designs and develops new products in adherence to project goals and guidelines. They primarily perform research and assessments to identify and understand project requirements, select materials, develop drafts, create blueprints and prototypes, establish test structures for quality assurance, and facilitate upgrades as necessary. They can also produce product specifications and provide technical support to staff as necessary. Most product development engineers work in a team environment, which requires an open communication line for an efficient workflow.
A lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, assessing risks, monitoring the budget, coordinating with clients and architects, and even training workers. Furthermore, as a lead engineer, it is crucial to conduct regular inspections to ensure the quality of work and maintain a safe environment for all workers.
Senior product development engineers and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $98,348 | $84,927 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $126,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior product development engineer and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior product development engineers' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.5% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |