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The differences between automation & controls engineers and staff design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an automation & controls engineer and a staff design engineer. Additionally, a staff design engineer has an average salary of $128,071, which is higher than the $89,542 average annual salary of an automation & controls engineer.
The top three skills for an automation & controls engineer include PLC, HMI and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a staff design engineer are architecture, RF, and CAD.
| Automation & Controls Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,542 | $128,071 |
| Hourly rate | $43.05 | $61.57 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 54,312 | 154,963 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An automation & controls engineer is responsible for designing technology systems to support business operations and maximize productivity, minimizing costing effects, and develop efficient and fast deliverables. Automation & controls engineers analyze client specifications and business requirements, running multiple diagnostic and troubleshooting tests to ensure the accuracy of outputs according to budget limitations and project management procedures. They must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, especially on writing system codes and a strong command of programming languages.
Staff design engineers are tasked to assess the efficiency of instruments, technologies, and equipment by collaborating with the engineering team to plan, design, and develop technologies efficiently. Their responsibilities include building and setting up, as wells as improving systems and procedures. They should possess strong attention to detail, good visual and spatial awareness, creativity, problem-solving, excellent verbal, written, and project management skills, and strong mathematical and IT skills to become efficient and effective staff design engineers.
Automation & controls engineers and staff design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automation & Controls Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,542 | $128,071 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $116,000 | Between $89,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Carlos, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Integrated DNA Technologies | HBO |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between an automation & controls engineer and a staff design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Automation & Controls Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between automation & controls engineers' and staff design engineers' demographics:
| Automation & Controls Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.5% Female, 5.5% | Male, 75.7% Female, 24.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 23.8% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |