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The differences between assistant chief engineers and section chiefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an assistant chief engineer and a section chief. Additionally, an assistant chief engineer has an average salary of $93,642, which is higher than the $78,816 average annual salary of a section chief.
The top three skills for an assistant chief engineer include HVAC, plumbing and customer service. The most important skills for a section chief are safety procedures, training programs, and professional development.
| Assistant Chief Engineer | Section Chief | |
| Yearly salary | $93,642 | $78,816 |
| Hourly rate | $45.02 | $37.89 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 15,988 | 13,655 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The assistant chief engineer works under the direct supervision of the chief engineer. Most of the chief engineer's responsibilities are given to the assistant, such as delegating employees for different tasks, inspect plans and blueprints, conduct determinations of various engineering projects, and provide reports and status updates of each. An assistant chief engineer's job is vital for any engineering project, and high organizational skills are required. Alongside this, the assistant must have competent knowledge in all relevant fields of engineering.
A section chief's job varies with the type of organization. In most cases, a section chief is the head of a given section in an organization that is tasked with performing certain duties. A section chief is the head of a unit and provides leadership, motivation, and management of a section of employees. Their duties and responsibilities include reviewing and overseeing budgets, expenditure, and section activities.
Assistant chief engineers and section chiefs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Chief Engineer | Section Chief | |
| Average salary | $93,642 | $78,816 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $139,000 | Between $37,000 And $163,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | BGC Partners | Learjet |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Government |
There are a few differences between an assistant chief engineer and a section chief in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Chief Engineer | Section Chief | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between assistant chief engineers' and section chiefs' demographics:
| Assistant Chief Engineer | Section Chief | |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.0% Female, 4.0% | Male, 88.4% Female, 11.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 2.1% White, 68.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 2.1% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |