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The differences between senior product development engineers and senior process engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior product development engineer, becoming a senior process engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior process engineer has an average salary of $105,378, which is higher than the $98,348 average annual salary of a senior product development engineer.
The top three skills for a senior product development engineer include CAD, solidworks and product development. The most important skills for a senior process engineer are continuous improvement, project management, and data analysis.
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Senior Process Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $98,348 | $105,378 |
| Hourly rate | $47.28 | $50.66 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 195,294 | 56,510 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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 Senior Process Engineer assesses a process efficiency, effectiveness, safety, and quality. They also conduct process improvement initiatives and custom product developments.
Senior product development engineers and senior process engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Senior Process Engineer | |
| Average salary | $98,348 | $105,378 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $126,000 | Between $82,000 And $134,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Louisiana |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Energy |
There are a few differences between a senior product development engineer and a senior process engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Senior Process Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Chemical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between senior product development engineers' and senior process engineers' demographics:
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Senior Process Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5% | Male, 85.1% Female, 14.9% |
| 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, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 15.3% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |