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The differences between senior product engineering managers and product directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a senior product engineering manager, becoming a product director takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a product director has an average salary of $148,910, which is higher than the $140,924 average annual salary of a senior product engineering manager.
The top three skills for a senior product engineering manager include control systems, product management and java. The most important skills for a product director are product management, product strategy, and project management.
| Senior Product Engineering Manager | Product Director | |
| Yearly salary | $140,924 | $148,910 |
| Hourly rate | $67.75 | $71.59 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 148,558 | 125,200 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 48 | 39 |
| Years of experience | - | 10 |
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.
The duties of a product director depend on one's place or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing the product development operations to ensure smooth flow and efficiency, devise strategies to improve processes, gather relevant data such as sales and customer feedback, and coordinate with different departments in developing new products and services. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage departments to meet goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations, including its mission and vision.
Senior product engineering managers and product directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Product Engineering Manager | Product Director | |
| Average salary | $140,924 | $148,910 |
| Salary range | Between $96,000 And $205,000 | Between $104,000 And $212,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Roku | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Internet |
There are a few differences between a senior product engineering manager and a product director in terms of educational background:
| Senior Product Engineering Manager | Product Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between senior product engineering managers' and product directors' demographics:
| Senior Product Engineering Manager | Product Director | |
| Average age | 48 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.5% Female, 7.5% | Male, 72.4% Female, 27.6% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 10% |