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The differences between senior project engineers and senior manufacturing 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 project engineer, becoming a senior manufacturing engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior project engineer has an average salary of $97,803, which is higher than the $93,853 average annual salary of a senior manufacturing engineer.
The top three skills for a senior project engineer include project management, construction management and CAD. The most important skills for a senior manufacturing engineer are lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and sigma.
| Senior Project Engineer | Senior Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $97,803 | $93,853 |
| Hourly rate | $47.02 | $45.12 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 146,838 | 97,154 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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.
A Senior Manufacturing Engineer works in a company's production operations and is responsible for developing and improving manufacturing processes. They analyze and propose solutions to engineering problems.
Senior project engineers and senior manufacturing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Project Engineer | Senior Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $97,803 | $93,853 |
| Salary range | Between $77,000 And $124,000 | Between $71,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior project engineer and a senior manufacturing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Project Engineer | Senior Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between senior project engineers' and senior manufacturing engineers' demographics:
| Senior Project Engineer | Senior Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.4% Female, 15.6% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 17.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |