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The differences between assistant directors of engineering and chief engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become an assistant director of engineering, becoming a chief engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a chief engineer has an average salary of $108,050, which is higher than the $83,927 average annual salary of an assistant director of engineering.
The top three skills for an assistant director of engineering include HVAC, plumbing and life safety systems. The most important skills for a chief engineer are HVAC, plumbing, and customer service.
| Assistant Director Of Engineering | Chief Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $83,927 | $108,050 |
| Hourly rate | $40.35 | $51.95 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 72,103 | 88,473 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
An assistant director of engineering assists and supports the director in spearheading and overseeing an organization's engineering projects and programs. They work together with the director in developing and executing plans, setting goals and guidelines, establishing budgets and timelines, and supervising the daily operations to ensure an efficient and safe workflow. There are also times when they may liaise with external parties, such as clients and suppliers, building positive relationships in the process. Moreover, they lead and encourage staff to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A chief engineer is responsible for monitoring the engineering department's overall operations, ensuring performance efficiency, and everyone's strict compliance with the safety standards and regulatory procedures. Chief engineers manage the distribution of the tasks to the team, communicate with the clients and management for instructions and specifications, monitor expenses and forecast sales reports, analyze and approve designs, negotiate contracts, and process disputes. A chief engineer must have excellent knowledge of the engineering disciplines and exemplary leadership skills to handle the team's performance towards the company's objectives.
Assistant directors of engineering and chief engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Director Of Engineering | Chief Engineer | |
| Average salary | $83,927 | $108,050 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $120,000 | Between $65,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Moody's | BGC Partners |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Transportation |
There are a few differences between an assistant director of engineering and a chief engineer in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Director Of Engineering | Chief Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between assistant directors of engineering' and chief engineers' demographics:
| Assistant Director Of Engineering | Chief Engineer | |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1% | Male, 96.2% Female, 3.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 11.9% White, 71.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 10.2% White, 71.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |