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The differences between design managers and senior engineering managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes More than 10 years to become both a design manager and a senior engineering manager. Additionally, a senior engineering manager has an average salary of $155,753, which is higher than the $102,637 average annual salary of a design manager.
The top three skills for a design manager include sketch, project management and visualization. The most important skills for a senior engineering manager are java, architecture, and cloud.
| Design Manager | Senior Engineering Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $102,637 | $155,753 |
| Hourly rate | $49.34 | $74.88 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 61,273 | 70,918 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A design manager is responsible for creating graphic and digital designs, following clients' specifications, and managing project deliverables efficiently. Design managers work closely with the marketing and public relations department, developing strategies to promote the brand to the target audience. They coordinate with the creative team and present the design ideas to the management, ask for final approval, perform revisions as needed, and follow the budget goals. A design manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the design team's concerns and needs.
Senior engineering managers are the leaders who oversee and supervise a team of engineers. These executives are the ones who develop, modify, create, and test solutions to technical-related problems. They direct and coordinate the production, quality assurance, maintenance, operations, or testing in industrial plants. It is part of their job to handle the research and development of new procedures and products. They are also involved in improving the advance scientific research and manufacturing processes of the company.
Design managers and senior engineering managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Manager | Senior Engineering Manager | |
| Average salary | $102,637 | $155,753 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $150,000 | Between $110,000 And $218,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Meta | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a design manager and a senior engineering manager in terms of educational background:
| Design Manager | Senior Engineering Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between design managers' and senior engineering managers' demographics:
| Design Manager | Senior Engineering Manager | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2% | Male, 89.9% Female, 10.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 11.8% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 2.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 17.6% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |