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The differences between operations engineers and staff engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an operations engineer and a staff engineer. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, which is higher than the $91,522 average annual salary of an operations engineer.
The top three skills for an operations engineer include python, cloud and AWS. The most important skills for a staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Operations Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $91,522 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $44.00 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 155,188 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An operations engineer is an individual who is responsible for ensuring that the operations of a company are working properly in industries such as manufacturing or shipping. Operations engineers are required to handle repairs or upgrades to the company's machinery and coordinate with department heads to assist in fine-tuning their operations system. When they have upgraded their system, operations engineers should conduct training with managers as well as employees and other workers. They are also required to examine machinery for defects and communicate maintenance schedules with department heads.
Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations. Other duties include designing and developing machinery, tools, and engines, solving design problems, and building the manufacturing equipment needed to create their products.
Operations engineers and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $91,522 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $132,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Flexport |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between an operations engineer and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Operations Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between operations engineers' and staff engineers' demographics:
| Operations Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.9% Female, 10.1% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 10.6% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |