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The differences between directors of systems engineering and systems 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 of systems engineering, becoming a systems engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a director of systems engineering has an average salary of $165,127, which is higher than the $82,834 average annual salary of a systems engineer.
The top three skills for a director of systems engineering include systems engineering, infrastructure and cloud. The most important skills for a systems engineer are python, linux, and C++.
| Director Of Systems Engineering | Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $165,127 | $82,834 |
| Hourly rate | $79.39 | $39.82 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 123,068 | 145,936 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 48 | 39 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
A director of systems engineering oversees the systems engineering department in a company, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Having more knowledge and experience in the field, they are in charge of setting goals and guidelines, managing budgets and timelines, conducting evaluations to ensure the efficiency of all systems and procedures, performing research and analysis to determine the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems, and implementing solutions against problem areas. Moreover, as director of systems engineering, they must lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals while enforcing and promoting the company's policies and regulations.
Systems engineers are responsible for creating and overseeing systems related to the overall operations of the organization. They are in charge of assessing the organization's needs in terms of systems and creating plans to address these needs. These systems are usually related to the production or manufacturing of company products. Systems engineers create end-to-end processes that ensure efficiency and effectiveness. They make sure that the processes they put in place adhere to safety and security policies and guidelines. They also do routine checks and continuously find ways to further improve production and other systems.
Directors of systems engineering and systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Director Of Systems Engineering | Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $165,127 | $82,834 |
| Salary range | Between $113,000 And $239,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a director of systems engineering and a systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Director Of Systems Engineering | Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between directors of systems engineering' and systems engineers' demographics:
| Director Of Systems Engineering | Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 48 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 13.4% White, 70.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |