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The differences between electronics test engineers and staff design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an electronics test engineer and a staff design engineer. Additionally, a staff design engineer has an average salary of $128,071, which is higher than the $80,610 average annual salary of an electronics test engineer.
The top three skills for an electronics test engineer include RF, labview and C++. The most important skills for a staff design engineer are architecture, RF, and CAD.
| Electronics Test Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,610 | $128,071 |
| Hourly rate | $38.75 | $61.57 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 70,182 | 154,963 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An electronics test engineer tests plans for use on electronic products, components, and systems. As an electronics test engineer, you will be responsible for evaluating and testing these products to ensure their quality. This role will require you to perform other tasks that include developing digital test patterns for mix signal testing and ASIC, developing procedures and test plans for electronic components and systems, and writing instructions for system assembly. You will also be responsible for evaluating the performance of electronic systems and providing recommendations for improvements.
Staff design engineers are tasked to assess the efficiency of instruments, technologies, and equipment by collaborating with the engineering team to plan, design, and develop technologies efficiently. Their responsibilities include building and setting up, as wells as improving systems and procedures. They should possess strong attention to detail, good visual and spatial awareness, creativity, problem-solving, excellent verbal, written, and project management skills, and strong mathematical and IT skills to become efficient and effective staff design engineers.
Electronics test engineers and staff design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electronics Test Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $80,610 | $128,071 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $107,000 | Between $89,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Synaptics | HBO |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between an electronics test engineer and a staff design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Electronics Test Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between electronics test engineers' and staff design engineers' demographics:
| Electronics Test Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.3% Female, 5.7% | Male, 75.7% Female, 24.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 23.8% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |