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The differences between commissioning engineers and operations 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 commissioning engineer and an operations engineer. Additionally, a commissioning engineer has an average salary of $97,374, which is higher than the $91,522 average annual salary of an operations engineer.
The top three skills for a commissioning engineer include HVAC, test procedures and MEP. The most important skills for an operations engineer are python, cloud, and AWS.
| Commissioning Engineer | Operations Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $97,374 | $91,522 |
| Hourly rate | $46.81 | $44.00 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 90,740 | 155,188 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A commissioning engineer is responsible for supporting engineering and technical projects by analyzing designs and identifying resources within budget limitations and timetables. Commissioning engineers monitor the project cycle and help the team on writing down progress observations, performing diagnostic tests, creating instructional manuals and resolutions, and ensuring healthy and productive business relationships with clients. They also coordinate with the team to suggest adjustment plans and implementing essential guidelines that would fit the market standards to attract potential clients for future profitability.
An operations engineer is an individual who is responsible for ensuring that the operations of a company are working properly in industries such as manufacturing or shipping. Operations engineers are required to handle repairs or upgrades to the company's machinery and coordinate with department heads to assist in fine-tuning their operations system. When they have upgraded their system, operations engineers should conduct training with managers as well as employees and other workers. They are also required to examine machinery for defects and communicate maintenance schedules with department heads.
Commissioning engineers and operations engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commissioning Engineer | Operations Engineer | |
| Average salary | $97,374 | $91,522 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $144,000 | Between $63,000 And $132,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a commissioning engineer and an operations engineer in terms of educational background:
| Commissioning Engineer | Operations Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between commissioning engineers' and operations engineers' demographics:
| Commissioning Engineer | Operations Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.4% Female, 4.6% | Male, 89.9% Female, 10.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 12.3% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 10.6% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |