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Senior product engineering manager vs design manager

The differences between senior product engineering managers and design managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes More than 10 years to become both a senior product engineering manager and a design manager. Additionally, a senior product engineering manager has an average salary of $140,924, which is higher than the $102,637 average annual salary of a design manager.

The top three skills for a senior product engineering manager include control systems, product management and java. The most important skills for a design manager are sketch, project management, and visualization.

Senior product engineering manager vs design manager overview

Senior Product Engineering ManagerDesign Manager
Yearly salary$140,924$102,637
Hourly rate$67.75$49.34
Growth rate2%2%
Number of jobs148,55861,273
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age4848
Years of experience--

What does a senior product engineering manager do?

The primary tasks of a senior product engineering manager include the design, prototype, authentication, and implementation of new products. Senior product engineering managers the capital plan and budget of the organization. They lead the efforts of technicians and engineers or other team members of the organization to ensure the successful completion of engineering projects. It is expected for them to possess skills and knowledge in project management, product development, application development, and process improvement.

What does a design manager do?

A design manager is responsible for creating graphic and digital designs, following clients' specifications, and managing project deliverables efficiently. Design managers work closely with the marketing and public relations department, developing strategies to promote the brand to the target audience. They coordinate with the creative team and present the design ideas to the management, ask for final approval, perform revisions as needed, and follow the budget goals. A design manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the design team's concerns and needs.

Senior product engineering manager vs design manager salary

Senior product engineering managers and design managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Product Engineering ManagerDesign Manager
Average salary$140,924$102,637
Salary rangeBetween $96,000 And $205,000Between $69,000 And $150,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyRokuMeta
Best paying industryAutomotiveTechnology

Differences between senior product engineering manager and design manager education

There are a few differences between a senior product engineering manager and a design manager in terms of educational background:

Senior Product Engineering ManagerDesign Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringGraphic Design
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Senior product engineering manager vs design manager demographics

Here are the differences between senior product engineering managers' and design managers' demographics:

Senior Product Engineering ManagerDesign Manager
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 92.5% Female, 7.5%Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 18.9% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 11.8% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between senior product engineering manager and design manager duties and responsibilities

Senior product engineering manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage all internal and BSI external ISO auditing activities.
  • Manage a group of engineers that design semi-custom commercial / industrial HVAC and refrigeration equipment.
  • Maintain engineering documents per ISO procedures.
  • Demonstrate the first commercial implementation of next-generation design software utilizing level-set methods to model and correct manufacturing errors in semiconductor photomasks.
  • Define requirements for divisional SharePoint projects and collaborate on high level design and testing of new software projects.

Design manager example responsibilities.

  • Help achieve status of medical device manufacturer through the FDA.
  • Manage several consultants preparing contract documents on the various NYC let and NYS let projects.
  • Manage and collaborate with ASIC library/memory vendors.
  • Manage design, tooling, equipment implementations and process improvements for foundry/machining metalworking manufacturer of automotive OEM products.
  • Design blueprints, bills of materials, FEA as required.
  • Include producing FDA and ISO-9000 level documentation of the project.
  • Show more

Senior product engineering manager vs design manager skills

Common senior product engineering manager skills
  • Control Systems, 18%
  • Product Management, 9%
  • Java, 5%
  • SR, 5%
  • Product Development, 5%
  • Continuous Improvement, 5%
Common design manager skills
  • Sketch, 8%
  • Project Management, 8%
  • Visualization, 5%
  • User Experience, 4%
  • PowerPoint, 4%
  • Design Process, 4%

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