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The differences between chief engineers and tool engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a chief engineer and a tool engineer. Additionally, a chief engineer has an average salary of $108,050, which is higher than the $101,135 average annual salary of a tool engineer.
The top three skills for a chief engineer include HVAC, plumbing and customer service. The most important skills for a tool engineer are python, java, and CAD.
| Chief Engineer | Tool Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,050 | $101,135 |
| Hourly rate | $51.95 | $48.62 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 88,473 | 98,936 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 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.
A tooling engineer is responsible for creating and adjusting tools or parts for cars, heavy equipment, and other products that need customized or personalized components. Your duties and responsibilities will include creating design blueprints, using computer-aided (CAD) software to develop two- and three-dimensional prints, and validating and evaluating products. As a tooling engineer, it is your responsibility to ensure compliance with operational standards such as the ISO 9000. You also have to provide technical assistance to manufacturing personnel and quality assurance.
Chief engineers and tool engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Engineer | Tool Engineer | |
| Average salary | $108,050 | $101,135 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $177,000 | Between $75,000 And $135,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Novato, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | BGC Partners | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Technology |
There are a few differences between a chief engineer and a tool engineer in terms of educational background:
| Chief Engineer | Tool Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between chief engineers' and tool engineers' demographics:
| Chief Engineer | Tool Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.2% Female, 3.8% | Male, 95.3% Female, 4.7% |
| 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, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |