Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between junior design engineers and lead 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 a junior design engineer and a lead design engineer. Additionally, a lead design engineer has an average salary of $108,490, which is higher than the $59,383 average annual salary of a junior design engineer.
The top three skills for a junior design engineer include engineering drawings, solidworks and auto cad. The most important skills for a lead design engineer are CAD, project management, and lead design.
| Junior Design Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $59,383 | $108,490 |
| Hourly rate | $28.55 | $52.16 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 122,180 | 118,073 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Junior Design Engineers are responsible for providing design assistance and administrative engineering support for an organization. Their duties include designing 3-dimensional models and prototypes, producing detailed drawings, assisting in tender proposal submissions, and documentation for product compliance. They are responsible for managing product literature and crib sheets and generating bills of material (BOM). Junior design engineers also assist in defining product specifications and liaise with stakeholders to obtain design approval. They must possess knowledge in using design software such as AutoCAD, Visualize, and Solidworks.
A Lead Design Engineer produces design solutions that can be purchased, installed, and commissioned effectively. They are also responsible for the cost-effectiviness and safety of new designs.
Junior design engineers and lead design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Design Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $59,383 | $108,490 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $86,000 | Between $82,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Micron Technology | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Agriculture |
There are a few differences between a junior design engineer and a lead design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Junior Design Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between junior design engineers' and lead design engineers' demographics:
| Junior Design Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.2% Female, 12.8% | Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 16.9% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 15.5% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |