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The differences between mechanical development engineers and senior mechanical designers 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 development engineer and a senior mechanical designer. Additionally, a senior mechanical designer has an average salary of $103,765, which is higher than the $91,933 average annual salary of a mechanical development engineer.
The top three skills for a mechanical development engineer include CAD, solidworks and FEA. The most important skills for a senior mechanical designer are CAD, mechanical design, and GD.
| Mechanical Development Engineer | Senior Mechanical Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $91,933 | $103,765 |
| Hourly rate | $44.20 | $49.89 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 147,373 | 71,958 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A mechanical development engineer plans and designs tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment. They perform duties such as overseeing the installation, operation, maintenance and repair of equipment and systems. They also produce specifications for new or modified systems. They supervise design engineering for a variety of facilities, and they coordinate the construction, assembly, and testing of equipment and systems.
A Senior Mechanical Designer is responsible for creating effective mechanical designs for their company and developing mechanical concepts in accordance with project requirements. They assist the engineering manager in coaching other mechanical engineers to develop design skills.
Mechanical development engineers and senior mechanical designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mechanical Development Engineer | Senior Mechanical Designer | |
| Average salary | $91,933 | $103,765 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $121,000 | Between $81,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a mechanical development engineer and a senior mechanical designer in terms of educational background:
| Mechanical Development Engineer | Senior Mechanical Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between mechanical development engineers' and senior mechanical designers' demographics:
| Mechanical Development Engineer | Senior Mechanical Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.3% Female, 10.7% | Male, 94.1% Female, 5.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 15.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 11.4% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |