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Electrical engineering project manager vs senior field engineer

The differences between electrical engineering project managers and senior field engineers 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 engineering project manager and a senior field engineer. Additionally, a senior field engineer has an average salary of $97,104, which is higher than the $87,900 average annual salary of an electrical engineering project manager.

The top three skills for an electrical engineering project manager include electrical engineering, project management and autocad. The most important skills for a senior field engineer are RF, technical support, and excellent interpersonal.

Electrical engineering project manager vs senior field engineer overview

Electrical Engineering Project ManagerSenior Field Engineer
Yearly salary$87,900$97,104
Hourly rate$42.26$46.68
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs131,38086,767
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age4545
Years of experience22

What does an electrical engineering project manager do?

An electrical engineering project manager spearheads and manages engineering projects, ensuring operations adhere to goals and budgets. Part of their job is to participate in identifying and meeting project requirements, set daily objectives and guidelines, manage project teams, and monitor processes, addressing and resolving issues should there be any. They may also liaise and negotiate with external parties, building positive relationships in the process. Moreover, being an electrical engineering project manager, they have the responsibility to lead and encourage the workforce to reach project goals while implementing company policies and standards.

What does a senior field engineer do?

A senior field engineer is in charge of overseeing and providing technical support on-site, helping operations run smoothly and efficiently. Among their responsibilities include performing installations and upgrades, performing research and analysis, managing staff, producing progress reports, and conducting inspections, ensuring compliance with state laws and regulations. They must also perform regular maintenance checks on equipment, performing corrective repairs and adjustments when necessary. Furthermore, as a senior field engineer, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior engineers while implementing the site's safety policies and regulations.

Electrical engineering project manager vs senior field engineer salary

Electrical engineering project managers and senior field engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Electrical Engineering Project ManagerSenior Field Engineer
Average salary$87,900$97,104
Salary rangeBetween $67,000 And $114,000Between $67,000 And $139,000
Highest paying CityLivermore, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaCalifornia
Best paying companyCalpineApple
Best paying industryEnergyEnergy

Differences between electrical engineering project manager and senior field engineer education

There are a few differences between an electrical engineering project manager and a senior field engineer in terms of educational background:

Electrical Engineering Project ManagerSenior Field Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeStanford UniversityMichigan Technological University

Electrical engineering project manager vs senior field engineer demographics

Here are the differences between electrical engineering project managers' and senior field engineers' demographics:

Electrical Engineering Project ManagerSenior Field Engineer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 88.6% Female, 11.4%Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.8% 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, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between electrical engineering project manager and senior field engineer duties and responsibilities

Electrical engineering project manager example responsibilities.

  • Participate and lead capital projects, maintenance excellence and CMMS programs, and EHS objectives.
  • Manage department staff of 24 full-time electrical engineers, firmware developers and technicians (employees and contractors).
  • Manage projects involve from procurement to completion for geotechnical and construction materials testing and inspection projects.
  • Create new opportunities and value for the company and successfully manage all geotechnical engineering matters including comprehensive report writing.
  • Design analog and digital PCB's.
  • Provide detail design in both analog and digital from schematic to PCB layout.
  • Show more

Senior field engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage a team of 10 engineers to install and repair commercial HVAC and refrigeration units.
  • Promote from original position as a staff engineer managing a variety of geotechnical engineering activities to a field engineer inspector position.
  • Upgrade firmware on all components in the SAN.
  • Provide UNIX host setup and provide administration for the duration of the engagement.
  • Work with vendor partners to troubleshoot hardware and software issues with core nodes.
  • Perform site acceptance testing and provide system maintenance support for FAA and DOD sites.
  • Show more

Electrical engineering project manager vs senior field engineer skills

Common electrical engineering project manager skills
  • Electrical Engineering, 18%
  • Project Management, 17%
  • Autocad, 8%
  • Engineering Design, 5%
  • Engineering Services, 4%
  • Electrical Design, 4%
Common senior field engineer skills
  • RF, 7%
  • Technical Support, 6%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
  • Technical Problems, 5%
  • Test Equipment, 5%
  • Linux, 4%

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