Contract mechanical designer vs chief engineer

The differences between contract mechanical 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 a contract mechanical designer and a chief engineer. Additionally, a chief engineer has an average salary of $108,050, which is higher than the $69,294 average annual salary of a contract mechanical designer.

The top three skills for a contract mechanical designer include R, BOM and auto cad. The most important skills for a chief engineer are HVAC, plumbing, and customer service.

Contract mechanical designer vs chief engineer overview

	Contract Mechanical Designer	Chief Engineer
Yearly salary	$69,294	$108,050
Hourly rate	$33.31	$51.95
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	72,152	88,473
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	6	6

Contract mechanical designer vs chief engineer salary

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

	Contract Mechanical Designer	Chief Engineer
Average salary	$69,294	$108,050
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $91,000	Between $65,000 And $177,000
Highest paying City	-	Palo Alto, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	BGC Partners
Best paying industry	-	Transportation

Differences between contract mechanical designer and chief engineer education

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

	Contract Mechanical Designer	Chief Engineer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	Michigan Technological University

Contract mechanical designer vs chief engineer demographics

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

	Contract Mechanical Designer	Chief Engineer
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4%	Male, 96.2% Female, 3.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 10.2% White, 71.8% 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 contract mechanical designer and chief engineer duties and responsibilities

Contract mechanical designer example responsibilities.

Work with JPL / NASA packaging and fabrication engineering leads (on-site).
Correspond with various vendors to select proper HVAC equipment.
Develop detail drawings, mechanize animations, bill of materials, ECO, and ECR's.
Generate ECO to update part specification in accordance with manufacturing requirements.
Create designs and documentation to facilitate manufacture of products including drawings, BOM and material specifications.
Design and automate electro-mechanical machinery to customer specifications.

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.

Contract mechanical designer vs chief engineer skills

Common contract mechanical designer skills

R, 9%
BOM, 8%
Auto CAD, 7%
Mechanical Design, 6%
Layout Drawings, 6%
Product Development, 5%

Common chief engineer skills

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

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Contract Mechanical Designer
Contract Mechanical Designer vs Chief Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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