Automotive designer vs chief engineer

The differences between automotive designers and chief 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 automotive designer and a chief engineer. Additionally, a chief engineer has an average salary of $108,050, which is higher than the $69,782 average annual salary of an automotive designer.

The top three skills for an automotive designer include industrial design, sketch and powertrain. The most important skills for a chief engineer are HVAC, plumbing, and customer service.

Automotive designer vs chief engineer overview

	Automotive Designer	Chief Engineer
Yearly salary	$69,782	$108,050
Hourly rate	$33.55	$51.95
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	76,806	88,473
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	6	6

Automotive designer vs chief engineer salary

Automotive designers and chief engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Automotive Designer	Chief Engineer
Average salary	$69,782	$108,050
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $108,000	Between $65,000 And $177,000
Highest paying City	Belmont, CA	Palo Alto, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Meta	BGC Partners
Best paying industry	Automotive	Transportation

Differences between automotive designer and chief engineer education

There are a few differences between an automotive designer and a chief engineer in terms of educational background:

	Automotive Designer	Chief Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Mechanical Engineering	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	Northwestern University	Michigan Technological University

Automotive designer vs chief engineer demographics

Here are the differences between automotive designers' and chief engineers' demographics:

	Automotive Designer	Chief Engineer
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 80.2% Female, 19.8%	Male, 96.2% Female, 3.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 11.0% White, 70.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	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	5%	5%

Differences between automotive designer and chief engineer duties and responsibilities

Automotive designer example responsibilities.

Manage documentation of existing projects, perform ECN resolutions.
Design of brackets and torsion bar components are validated using FEA inSolidworks.
Designate as group training mentor during transition from CADAM to Unigraphics V9.
Complete several fully fillet and draft angle solid models on Unigraphics for direct manufacturing.
Perform mechanical engineering design for facilities including calculate building HVAC requirements to ensure adequate capacity of system air flow.
Release drawings and BOMs in PDM/Link Windchill.

Chief engineer example responsibilities.

Lead SQL performance overhaul for SaaS web applications.
Manage A/E design contracts, evaluate cost proposals and provide construction inspection.
Maintain HVAC/R equipment and kitchen equipment throughout a number of different properties that LPC manages.
Manage staff, contracts, vendor relations, bids, projects, RFP's and negotiations.
Co-Authore OSHA VPP application and lead ongoing safety training and documentation administration.
Initiate and manage several CMMS programs for productivity and inventory control programs.

Automotive designer vs chief engineer skills

Common automotive designer skills

Industrial Design, 24%
Sketch, 19%
Powertrain, 13%
FEA, 11%
Cost Reduction, 9%
Catia V5, 8%

Common chief engineer skills

HVAC, 12%
Plumbing, 10%
Customer Service, 7%
Life Safety Systems, 4%
Boilers, 4%
Ladders, 3%