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The differences between electrical engineering project managers and system design 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 system design engineer. Additionally, a system design engineer has an average salary of $107,704, 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 system design engineer are system design, architecture, and MATLAB.
| Electrical Engineering Project Manager | System Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,900 | $107,704 |
| Hourly rate | $42.26 | $51.78 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 131,380 | 113,582 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A system design engineer is an individual who participates in system design engineering and resolves manufacturing and service problems. System design engineers are required to collaborate with the system design team to research emerging technologies and develop new capabilities. They create design layouts by utilizing the use of CAD software such as AutoCad as well as supervise a group of CAD technicians. System design engineers must also provide customer service in the field and deliver individualized problem solving and system design support
Electrical engineering project managers and system design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical Engineering Project Manager | System Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $87,900 | $107,704 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $114,000 | Between $77,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | Livermore, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Calpine | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an electrical engineering project manager and a system design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Electrical Engineering Project Manager | System Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between electrical engineering project managers' and system design engineers' demographics:
| Electrical Engineering Project Manager | System Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4% | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 11.4% Asian, 15.4% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |