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The differences between lead field engineers and completion engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a lead field engineer and a completion engineer. Additionally, a completion engineer has an average salary of $156,228, which is higher than the $72,264 average annual salary of a lead field engineer.
The top three skills for a lead field engineer include project management, customer satisfaction and logistics. The most important skills for a completion engineer are rig, AFE, and cost estimates.
| Lead Field Engineer | Completion Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $72,264 | $156,228 |
| Hourly rate | $34.74 | $75.11 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 63,711 | 11,512 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
A lead field engineer tests, commissions, programs, troubleshoot, repairs, retrofits, and installs voltage power system devices. A lead field engineer also tests, commissions, troubleshoot, repairs, erects, upgrades, and vacuum-fills various transformers. Besides testing, commissioning, troubleshooting, repairing, erecting, and upgrading various voltage ratings and switchgear, a lead field engineer also schedules and executes projects on-budget and within the agreed timeline. Moreover, a lead field engineer identifies and implements standardization and improvement processes and costs to improve cost productivity.
Completion Engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for designing and monitoring well completions and ensuring the safety of drilling completion operations. These engineers must communicate instructions to the drilling contractors for all operations while emphasizing safety, well control, and LEAN. They are required to conduct meetings on multiple onsite safety and analysis of hazardous materials to improve workplace safety. Completion Engineers must also work closely with the senior management to establish standard operating procedures that follow the industry and government regulations.
Lead field engineers and completion engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Field Engineer | Completion Engineer | |
| Average salary | $72,264 | $156,228 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $98,000 | Between $107,000 And $227,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | Anchorage, AK |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Apple | Devon Energy |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Utilities |
There are a few differences between a lead field engineer and a completion engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Field Engineer | Completion Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Petroleum Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between lead field engineers' and completion engineers' demographics:
| Lead Field Engineer | Completion Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.4% Female, 4.6% | Male, 91.4% Female, 8.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 17.2% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 17.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |