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The differences between chief engineers and engineering managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a chief engineer, becoming an engineering manager takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, an engineering manager has an average salary of $139,328, which is higher than the $108,050 average annual salary of a chief engineer.
The top three skills for a chief engineer include HVAC, plumbing and customer service. The most important skills for an engineering manager are java, project management, and continuous improvement.
| Chief Engineer | Engineering Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $108,050 | $139,328 |
| Hourly rate | $51.95 | $66.98 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 88,473 | 67,124 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
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.
An engineering manager is responsible for managing the overall concept of engineering and construction projects, ensuring that the plan meets the budget goals and the client's specifications. Engineering managers approve designs, plan strategic procedures to follow the project's timetable, analyze current market trends, hire the best and efficient contractors, and coordinate with the clients for any changes and adjustments as needed. An engineering manager must have excellent knowledge of engineering disciplines, as well as leadership and communication skills, monitoring the team's performance throughout the project.
Chief engineers and engineering managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Engineer | Engineering Manager | |
| Average salary | $108,050 | $139,328 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $177,000 | Between $99,000 And $195,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | BGC Partners | Mixpanel |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a chief engineer and an engineering manager in terms of educational background:
| Chief Engineer | Engineering Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between chief engineers' and engineering managers' demographics:
| Chief Engineer | Engineering Manager | |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.2% Female, 3.8% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.2% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 9% |