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This question is about what a principal engineer does, what a senior engineer does, and principal engineer.

Principal Engineer vs. Senior Engineer

By Zippia Team - Jul. 28, 2022

A principal engineer is a professional who oversees other engineers in different departments and contributes to multiple projects at one time, while a senior engineer is someone who often manages just one project or department.

A principal engineer always has many years of experience and training in a particular field of engineering or in multiple fields of engineering. They oversee and manage engineers in a specific department or in several different departments.

Leadership is a crucial component of a principal engineer's job. Some of their responsibilities include planning engineering strategies for a company, managing several departments and figuring out goals for each, and writing and managing engineering budgets.

Senior engineers lead one particular engineering department at a company. Some of their duties include creating reports and project proposals, presenting design and research to clients, advising other engineering staff, and managing projects.

Here are the key differences between a principal engineer and a senior engineer:

  • A principal engineer may oversee several different departments and projects at once

  • A senior engineer only leads and manages one engineering department

  • A principal engineer is higher in the hierarchy of a company than a senior engineer

  • Principal engineers may participate in creating or modifying company engineering budgets

  • Senior engineers do not have any duties concerning budgets

  • Principal engineers have higher salaries than senior engineers

Principal Engineer vs. Senior Engineer

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