Mechanical design engineer vs senior mechanical engineer

The differences between mechanical design engineers and senior mechanical 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 mechanical design engineer and a senior mechanical engineer. Additionally, a senior mechanical engineer has an average salary of $103,836, which is higher than the $75,821 average annual salary of a mechanical design engineer.

The top three skills for a mechanical design engineer include CAD, mechanical design and GD. The most important skills for a senior mechanical engineer are mechanical engineering, CAD, and solidworks.

Mechanical design engineer vs senior mechanical engineer overview

	Mechanical Design Engineer	Senior Mechanical Engineer
Yearly salary	$75,821	$103,836
Hourly rate	$36.45	$49.92
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	120,258	98,063
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	6	6

What does a mechanical design engineer do?

A mechanical design engineer specializes in designing various mechanical devices that will be vital in developing machinery or large structures. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around conducting thorough research and analysis, establishing layouts and prototypes, producing progress reports, and working alongside fellow engineers and skilled professionals. Typically assigned in an office setting, a mechanical design engineer must visit construction sites or factories to test and observe equipment qualities. Furthermore, during production, there are instances when a mechanical engineer must coordinate with suppliers, contractors, and clients.

What does a senior mechanical engineer do?

A senior mechanical engineer is responsible for designing and improving mechanical equipment, as well as industrial devices and machinery. Senior mechanical engineers verify the materials and resources, ensuring that the processes meet the budget goals from clients' specifications and requirements. They also monitor the manufacturing process, developing strategic procedures for operations improvement, and maximizing staff productivity. A senior mechanical engineer runs multiple diagnostic tests to guarantee the stability and efficiency of the item and coordinating with the client for any plan adjustments as needed.

Mechanical design engineer vs senior mechanical engineer salary

Mechanical design engineers and senior mechanical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mechanical Design Engineer	Senior Mechanical Engineer
Average salary	$75,821	$103,836
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $96,000	Between $79,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Meta	Google
Best paying industry	Automotive	Energy

Differences between mechanical design engineer and senior mechanical engineer education

There are a few differences between a mechanical design engineer and a senior mechanical engineer in terms of educational background:

	Mechanical Design Engineer	Senior Mechanical Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Mechanical Engineering	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	Michigan Technological University	Michigan Technological University

Mechanical design engineer vs senior mechanical engineer demographics

Here are the differences between mechanical design engineers' and senior mechanical engineers' demographics:

	Mechanical Design Engineer	Senior Mechanical Engineer
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1%	Male, 94.2% Female, 5.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.4% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 15.8% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between mechanical design engineer and senior mechanical engineer duties and responsibilities

Mechanical design engineer example responsibilities.

Manage installation and troubleshooting documents for ultra precision CNC grinding machines.
Manage the successful release to manufacturing of several generations of Ethernet switches.
Engineer, manage and implement configuration and installation of complex Ethernet network backbones.
Manage automation projects including purchasing, scheduling fabrication and assembly, debugging, and delivery to customer.
Provide mechanical design and sustaining engineering expertise to troubleshoot manufacturing defect trends and achieve a more robust and producible product.
Supervise product development in coherence with UL standards and manufacturers.

Senior mechanical engineer example responsibilities.

Create DFMEA documents to help manage risks and improve initial quality.
Set up and manage PCB manufacturing including all chemical baths, lasers, and exposure equipment.
Restructure VHDL code and chip/module hierarchy to achieve timing goals for the dual cache controller and the chip.
Achieve timely convergence of complex designs by building RTL models from validation area and integrating them, before official model release.
Lead FPGA development of key digital communication component used in successful demonstration of spacecraft radio link.
Provide mechanical design and sustaining engineering expertise to troubleshoot manufacturing defect trends and achieve a more robust and producible product.

Mechanical design engineer vs senior mechanical engineer skills

Common mechanical design engineer skills

CAD, 14%
Mechanical Design, 12%
GD, 5%
Creo, 5%
FEA, 4%
UL, 3%

Common senior mechanical engineer skills

Mechanical Engineering, 15%
CAD, 7%
Solidworks, 7%
Mechanical Design, 5%
Mechanical Systems, 5%
HVAC, 4%

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Mechanical Design Engineer vs Senior Mechanical Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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