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The differences between senior product engineers and senior production 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 engineer, becoming a senior production engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior production engineer has an average salary of $115,075, which is higher than the $101,685 average annual salary of a senior product engineer.
The top three skills for a senior product engineer include java, product engineering and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a senior production engineer are continuous improvement, technical support, and SR.
| Senior Product Engineer | Senior Production Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $101,685 | $115,075 |
| Hourly rate | $48.89 | $55.32 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 145,781 | 94,542 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A senior product engineer specializes in optimizing product designs and manufacturing procedures, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They are typically in charge of performing market research and analysis, utilizing the results as a basis in designing new products and upgrading existing designs. Moreover, they coordinate with product development teams to cultivate ideas, develop prototypes and test structures, and oversee the material selection that will make the products possible. As a senior product engineer, it is essential to monitor the entire progress and lead the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A senior production engineer supervises and improves plant and factory production. They manage engineering teams, update the manager about various issues, create safety protocols, and draw up strategies to enhance profit and production efficiency. Besides overseeing the production processes and ensuring the engineering teams perform quality work, senior production engineers also work hand-in-hand with other engineers to draw up programs that enhance the required labor, costs, and production. Moreover, these professionals identify, document, and report unsafe practices.
Senior product engineers and senior production engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Product Engineer | Senior Production Engineer | |
| Average salary | $101,685 | $115,075 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $131,000 | Between $85,000 And $154,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mountain View, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Cloudflare | Ep Energy |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a senior product engineer and a senior production engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Product Engineer | Senior Production Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between senior product engineers' and senior production engineers' demographics:
| Senior Product Engineer | Senior Production Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.2% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 14.9% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |