Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between design development engineers and design 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 design development engineer and a design engineer. Additionally, a design development engineer has an average salary of $92,179, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a design development engineer include solidworks, FEA and C++. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Design Development Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $92,179 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $44.32 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 174,870 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Design development engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for testing products for various industries such as electronics and synthetic textiles. These engineers must collaborate with the research and development (R&D;) organization to carry out initial new product development projects. They are required to coordinate a project with clients and consultants to ensure the approval of project permits and construction feasibility. Design development engineers must also possess skills in using software such as SolidWorks to model complex product parts and components.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Design development engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Development Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $92,179 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $124,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a design development engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Design Development Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between design development engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Design Development Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |