Side-by-side distribution
Plant Manager
$172,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 34.9%
- Live roles
- 63
Process Engineer
$131,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 31.9%
- Live roles
- 389
Highest-paying jobs
Plant Manager
Staff Product Manager, AI Factory
Senior Engineering Manager, Factory Core
Manager, Plant Control Engineering
Technical Account Manager - Token Factory
Plant Operations Manager (Jet Fuel Plant)
Manufacturing Plant Manager
Lead Project Manager, Factory Development
Sr Manager, Data Factory Operation
Construction Manager – Owner's Representative (cGMP Plant Expansion)
Highest-paying jobs
Advanced Packaging Process Engineer
Process Engineer, Powder
Process Development Engineer
Principal Process Engineer, Fuel Cycle
Senior Process Engineer (Power Generation / Gas-to-Power)
Senior Additive Manufacturing Process Engineer
Senior Process Control Engineer
Senior Process Engineer, Fuel Cycle
Process Engineer
Lead Metallurgical Process Engineer — Metallurgy and Heavy Forging
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| NE New Era Technology | $135,000 | 3 |
Clearway Energy
|
$131,125 | 2 |
|
Fluidstack
|
$353,000 | 1 |
|
Domino Data Lab
|
$262,500 | 1 |
|
Hadrian Automation
|
$250,000 | 1 |
|
Helion
|
$220,000 | 1 |
|
Nebius
|
$202,500 | 1 |
|
Twelve
|
$198,000 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Anduril Industries
|
$150,000 | 9 |
Phoenix Tailings
|
$140,000 | 5 |
|
Helion
|
$198,000 | 4 |
Mariana Minerals
|
$141,250 | 4 |
Blue Current
|
$135,800 | 4 |
Solid Power
|
$111,500 | 4 |
Scout Motors
|
$110,000 | 4 |
Apex Companies
|
$95,000 | 4 |
Process Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $154,750 | 4 |
| Boston | $130,000 | 3 |
| Los Angeles | $116,250 | 4 |
Plant Manager vs Process Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Plant Manager is $172,500 per year (typically $134,063–$199,125), versus $131,000 for Process Engineer ($103,250–$160,156). That puts Plant Manager about 32% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Plant Manager and Process Engineer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.