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The differences between senior product development engineers and project 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 project engineer. Additionally, a senior product development engineer has an average salary of $98,348, which is higher than the $75,050 average annual salary of a project engineer.
The top three skills for a senior product development engineer include CAD, solidworks and product development. The most important skills for a project engineer are project management, autocad, and construction management.
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $98,348 | $75,050 |
| Hourly rate | $47.28 | $36.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 195,294 | 176,689 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| 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 Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation. The Project Engineer will also recommend material, equipment, and the type of personnel needed. This position is integral in the smooth flow of any project, so hiring someone to hold this position will decide the success of a project.
Senior product development engineers and project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $98,348 | $75,050 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $126,000 | Between $55,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Energy |
There are a few differences between a senior product development engineer and a project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| 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 project engineers' demographics:
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5% | Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9% |
| 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, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 14.5% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |