Director, hardware engineering vs mechanical engineer

The differences between directors, hardware engineering and mechanical engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a director, hardware engineering, becoming a mechanical engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a director, hardware engineering has an average salary of $182,954, which is higher than the $75,352 average annual salary of a mechanical engineer.

The top three skills for a director, hardware engineering include RF, product development and hardware development. The most important skills for a mechanical engineer are CAD, solidworks, and mechanical systems.

Director, hardware engineering vs mechanical engineer overview

	Director, Hardware Engineering	Mechanical Engineer
Yearly salary	$182,954	$75,352
Hourly rate	$87.96	$36.23
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	63,781	105,618
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	48	41
Years of experience	-	6

Director, hardware engineering vs mechanical engineer salary

Directors, hardware engineering and mechanical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director, Hardware Engineering	Mechanical Engineer
Average salary	$182,954	$75,352
Salary range	Between $128,000 And $260,000	Between $58,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Washington
Best paying company	NVIDIA	Meta
Best paying industry	Start-up	Energy

Differences between director, hardware engineering and mechanical engineer education

There are a few differences between a director, hardware engineering and a mechanical engineer in terms of educational background:

	Director, Hardware Engineering	Mechanical Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Michigan Technological University

Director, hardware engineering vs mechanical engineer demographics

Here are the differences between directors, hardware engineering' and mechanical engineers' demographics:

	Director, Hardware Engineering	Mechanical Engineer
Average age	48	41
Gender ratio	Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1%	Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 17.9% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.6% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	9%	5%

Differences between director, hardware engineering and mechanical engineer duties and responsibilities

Director, hardware engineering example responsibilities.

Lead contract purchasing, PCB fabrication, contract board assembly, and ICT test fixture fabrication.
Select and manage contract resources for industrial design, mechanical design and fabrication, and PCB layout.
Manage design, tooling, equipment implementations and process improvements for foundry/machining metalworking manufacturer of automotive OEM products.
Hire to build world-class hardware development team including RF engineers.
Train subordinates to use FEA.
Involve in the design of a chip tray which incorporates RF antennas.

Mechanical engineer example responsibilities.

Manage machine shop and Sr. Machinist/Toolmaker.
Lead the implementation of Syteline MRP software.
Manage component work orders and failure test scheduling to parts as per DFMEA with design team.
Use of PLM software tools such as WindChill to manage data, revisions, iterations and approvals.
Lead a brainstorming session for review with supplier & management and follow through the successful implementation of a corrective action.
Attain SolidWorks CSWP certification and maintaining proficiency within CREO & AutoCad

Director, hardware engineering vs mechanical engineer skills

Common director, hardware engineering skills

RF, 9%
Product Development, 8%
Hardware Development, 7%
Firmware, 6%
Mechanical Engineering, 5%
Hardware Products, 5%

Common mechanical engineer skills

CAD, 10%
Solidworks, 9%
Mechanical Systems, 6%
Mechanical Design, 5%
HVAC, 5%
Plumbing, 4%

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Director, Hardware Engineering
Director, Hardware Engineering vs Mechanical Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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