Post job

Communications systems engineer vs senior engineer

The differences between communications systems engineers and senior engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a communications systems engineer has an average salary of $127,832, which is higher than the $108,743 average annual salary of a senior engineer.

The top three skills for a communications systems engineer include RF, communications systems and C++. The most important skills for a senior engineer are java, python, and architecture.

Communications systems engineer vs senior engineer overview

Communications Systems EngineerSenior Engineer
Yearly salary$127,832$108,743
Hourly rate$61.46$52.28
Growth rate5%2%
Number of jobs105,092343,200
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4541
Years of experience-6

What does a communications systems engineer do?

Communication systems engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for developing communication systems and general electrical designs for their clients. These engineers are required to prepare communication designs, including diagrams, instructions, and the cost of materials for large-scale telecommunications projects. They must undergo certification training so that they can perform maintenance on communication and navigation systems. Communication systems engineers must also work with the development and test engineering to select for proper communication system components and to ensure that features are working properly.

What does a senior engineer do?

A senior engineer is responsible for overseeing all operations within a designated area. With years of experience and expertise, a senior engineer may take charge of establishing goals, deadlines, and budgets for a particular project. They must devise and implement strategies that would improve the quality of workflow and deliver significant results. Furthermore, a senior manager must also supervise a team of skilled engineers, leading them in the joint effort to reach the company's vision and mission, all while adhering to the safety standards and regulations.

Communications systems engineer vs senior engineer salary

Communications systems engineers and senior engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Communications Systems EngineerSenior Engineer
Average salary$127,832$108,743
Salary rangeBetween $90,000 And $179,000Between $82,000 And $144,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Mateo, CA
Highest paying stateNew MexicoCalifornia
Best paying companyMetaRoku
Best paying industryTelecommunicationStart-up

Differences between communications systems engineer and senior engineer education

There are a few differences between a communications systems engineer and a senior engineer in terms of educational background:

Communications Systems EngineerSenior Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeStanford UniversityMichigan Technological University

Communications systems engineer vs senior engineer demographics

Here are the differences between communications systems engineers' and senior engineers' demographics:

Communications Systems EngineerSenior Engineer
Average age4541
Gender ratioMale, 85.4% Female, 14.6%Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 12.7% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage7%5%

Differences between communications systems engineer and senior engineer duties and responsibilities

Communications systems engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage the day-to-day operation of a large-scale military airfield RF communications-electronics planning, integration and maintenance facility.
  • Develop and integrate software that drives flight control system hardware and achieves product requirements for an international avionics customer base.
  • Lead person in evaluating, researching, and testing of LAN communications Software/Hardware.
  • Design premise wiring to support both voice and data during new facilities installations and LAN upgrades.
  • Conduct documentation, PBX cutover vendor coordination and initial site turnover and signoff of (UAT) user acceptance testing.
  • Perform communications interference analyses involving various customer spacecraft and NASA assets, including characterization of communications degradation due to co-channel interferers.
  • Show more

Senior engineer example responsibilities.

  • Tune the TCP/IP, NFS and CIFS for 1Gb and 10Gb Ethernet to achieve performance goals.
  • Manage multiple releases of a global CRM initiative with on time and within budget deployment.
  • Implement and support migration tool used to automate promotion of code throughout all SDLC environments.
  • Manage & lead process analysis, design, & ERP implementation engagements at various client locations.
  • Design, lead design, or participate in design of five T/R modules for phase array antennas.
  • Create customized shell scripts to start-up and shut-down WebLogic admin and manage servers and integrate them with the OS.
  • Show more

Communications systems engineer vs senior engineer skills

Common communications systems engineer skills
  • RF, 21%
  • Communications Systems, 13%
  • C++, 7%
  • DOD, 5%
  • Engineering Support, 4%
  • Design Reviews, 4%
Common senior engineer skills
  • Java, 10%
  • Python, 9%
  • Architecture, 7%
  • JavaScript, 4%
  • API, 4%
  • GIT, 3%

Browse computer and mathematical jobs