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The differences between senior production engineers and senior project engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior production engineer, becoming a senior project engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior production engineer has an average salary of $115,075, which is higher than the $97,803 average annual salary of a senior project engineer.
The top three skills for a senior production engineer include continuous improvement, technical support and SR. The most important skills for a senior project engineer are project management, construction management, and CAD.
| Senior Production Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $115,075 | $97,803 |
| Hourly rate | $55.32 | $47.02 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 94,542 | 146,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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.
A senior project engineer is responsible for monitoring the project team's overall process and operations from conceptualization until completion, ensuring the adherence to the clients' specifications, within the budget's goals, and the required deadline. Senior project engineers regularly communicate with the client regarding updates or necessary adjustments. They develop strategic procedures to finish the project efficiently by running diagnostic tests and troubleshooting discrepancies. A senior project engineer must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the team's performance and provide assistance when necessary.
Senior production engineers and senior project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Production Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $115,075 | $97,803 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $154,000 | Between $77,000 And $124,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Ep Energy | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior production engineer and a senior project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Production Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior production engineers' and senior project engineers' demographics:
| Senior Production Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% | Male, 84.4% Female, 15.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 14.8% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |