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The differences between supplier development engineers and process improvement engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a supplier development engineer and a process improvement engineer. Additionally, a supplier development engineer has an average salary of $89,484, which is higher than the $82,473 average annual salary of a process improvement engineer.
The top three skills for a supplier development engineer include supplier development, supply chain and sigma. The most important skills for a process improvement engineer are lean six sigma, sigma, and project management.
| Supplier Development Engineer | Process Improvement Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,484 | $82,473 |
| Hourly rate | $43.02 | $39.65 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 88,396 | 55,438 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The job of a supplier development engineer is to source, negotiate, and buy goods, services, and materials in order to meet an organization's operational requirements. You will supervise teams in developing new supply sources to improve the company's cost competitiveness. Typical duties include researching entrepreneurial companies to identify potential suppliers and sources, assessing new and existing supplier capabilities to meet cost, product, capacity, and quality, and driving improvements using lean methodologies. You will also perform benchmarking studies to determine future trends and best practices.
A process improvement engineer specializes in conducting research and analysis to develop new strategies and ideas to improve the processes in a manufacturing plant or a similar setting. They prioritize efficiency and profitability. Most of the time, engineers participate in a series of meetings where they coordinate with fellow engineers to determine opportunities for product growth and development. Moreover, a process improvement engineer is also responsible for crafting new policies and regulations, upgrading systems, and developing new practices to ensure product quality and customer satisfaction.
Supplier development engineers and process improvement engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supplier Development Engineer | Process Improvement Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,484 | $82,473 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $113,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a supplier development engineer and a process improvement engineer in terms of educational background:
| Supplier Development Engineer | Process Improvement Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | New York University |
Here are the differences between supplier development engineers' and process improvement engineers' demographics:
| Supplier Development Engineer | Process Improvement Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.9% Female, 18.1% | Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 10.5% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |