Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between contracting engineers and senior 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 contracting engineer and a senior engineer. Additionally, a contracting engineer has an average salary of $122,620, which is higher than the $108,743 average annual salary of a senior engineer.
The top three skills for a contracting engineer include C++, C # and R. The most important skills for a senior engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Contracting Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $122,620 | $108,743 |
| Hourly rate | $58.95 | $52.28 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 115,631 | 343,200 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A contracting engineer specializes in overseeing engineering projects, focusing on the legalities of contracts between clients and engineers to ensure fairness in all parties involved. Most of their duties are administrative, such as gathering and analyzing data, conducting research and analyses, setting budgets and guidelines, drafting commercial tenders and other paperwork, maintaining records, and executing contracts. They are also responsible for handling contract issues and concerns, solving them promptly and efficiently. Additionally, a contracting engineer maintains an open communication line with all parties to ensure a smooth workflow.
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.
Contracting engineers and senior engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contracting Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average salary | $122,620 | $108,743 |
| Salary range | Between $86,000 And $173,000 | Between $82,000 And $144,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | EquiLend | Roku |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a contracting engineer and a senior engineer in terms of educational background:
| Contracting Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between contracting engineers' and senior engineers' demographics:
| Contracting Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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 Percentage | 5% | 5% |