Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between electrical controls engineers and electrical & instrumentation designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an electrical controls engineer and an electrical & instrumentation designer. Additionally, an electrical controls engineer has an average salary of $82,681, which is higher than the $81,188 average annual salary of an electrical & instrumentation designer.
The top three skills for an electrical controls engineer include HMI, PLC and allen-bradley. The most important skills for an electrical & instrumentation designer are PLC, instrumentation design, and control systems.
| Electrical Controls Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,681 | $81,188 |
| Hourly rate | $39.75 | $39.03 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 54,037 | 81,243 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Associate Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An electrical controls engineer is responsible for monitoring the efficiency and optimal performance of the organization's electrical tools and equipment, usually in manufacturing and warehouse settings. Electrical controls engineers use their excellent analytical and statistical skills to analyze operational processes and suggest production improvement techniques maximize productivity and reduce service delays. They conduct preventive maintenance on the equipment and machinery, including network and system configuration, to increase efficiency and accuracy. An electrical controls engineer maintains operational reports, including equipment and machinery instructional manuals for reference.
An electrical instrumentation designer's main job is to design instruments that can be used in various areas such as laboratories, power plants, or research institutes. They work together with a team or individually to design instruments, create a prototype, and test its functions. They can even install these instruments in different establishments and locations. They are tasked with repair and training engineers. At other times, they are assigned to record expenses and other documentation.
Electrical controls engineers and electrical & instrumentation designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical Controls Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Average salary | $82,681 | $81,188 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $108,000 | Between $60,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | - |
| Best paying company | Tallgrass Energy | - |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | - |
There are a few differences between an electrical controls engineer and an electrical & instrumentation designer in terms of educational background:
| Electrical Controls Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Associate Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between electrical controls engineers' and electrical & instrumentation designers' demographics:
| Electrical Controls Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.6% Female, 6.4% | Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |