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The differences between instrumentation & control engineers and electrical engineers lead can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an instrumentation & control engineer and an electrical engineer lead. Additionally, an electrical engineer lead has an average salary of $111,251, which is higher than the $92,464 average annual salary of an instrumentation & control engineer.
The top three skills for an instrumentation & control engineer include PLC, HMI and SCADA. The most important skills for an electrical engineer lead are electrical engineering, autocad, and engineering design.
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Electrical Engineer Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $92,464 | $111,251 |
| Hourly rate | $44.45 | $53.49 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 51,065 | 82,196 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An instrumentation and control engineer is responsible for installing and designing technical components for engineering systems that would support production and manufacturing processes. Instrumentation and control engineers inspect control systems, modify features and infrastructure, configure controllers, and run multiple quality checks to ensure stability and optimal performance. They must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in developing system codes and analyzing programming languages to serve control functions and development. An instrumentation and control engineer also resolves system issues and write resolution reports for reference.
An electrical engineer lead is an engineering professional who works with clients and internal engineers to establish project requirements and work on multiple electrical projects. Electrical engineer leads provide the cost estimation of electrical projects and prepare budget proposals as well as assign personnel with the capabilities required to complete the assigned tasks. They are required to review the calculation methods to ensure that they comply with all regulatory and project requirements. Electrical engineer leads must also accurately check the electrical design calculations for electrical loads, short circuit, and voltage drop using standard electrical engineering software.
Instrumentation & control engineers and electrical engineers lead have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Electrical Engineer Lead | |
| Average salary | $92,464 | $111,251 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $121,000 | Between $83,000 And $148,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Marathon Petroleum | |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Construction |
There are a few differences between an instrumentation & control engineer and an electrical engineer lead in terms of educational background:
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Electrical Engineer Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between instrumentation & control engineers' and electrical engineers lead' demographics:
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Electrical Engineer Lead | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% | Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |