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Principal, architectural firm vs senior architect

The differences between principals, architectural firms and senior architects can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a principal, architectural firm and a senior architect. Additionally, a principal, architectural firm has an average salary of $120,913, which is higher than the $91,624 average annual salary of a senior architect.

The top three skills for a principal, architectural firm include business development, enterprise architecture and as-built drawings. The most important skills for a senior architect are cloud, java, and infrastructure.

Principal, architectural firm vs senior architect overview

Principal, Architectural FirmSenior Architect
Yearly salary$120,913$91,624
Hourly rate$58.13$44.05
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs42,091103,428
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age4545
Years of experience44

Principal, architectural firm vs senior architect salary

Principals, architectural firms and senior architects have different pay scales, as shown below.

Principal, Architectural FirmSenior Architect
Average salary$120,913$91,624
Salary rangeBetween $73,000 And $197,000Between $58,000 And $143,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-Hawaii
Best paying company-Ropes & Gray
Best paying industry--

Differences between principal, architectural firm and senior architect education

There are a few differences between a principal, architectural firm and a senior architect in terms of educational background:

Principal, Architectural FirmSenior Architect
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorArchitectureComputer Science
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaCornell University

Principal, architectural firm vs senior architect demographics

Here are the differences between principals, architectural firms' and senior architects' demographics:

Principal, Architectural FirmSenior Architect
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 85.8% Female, 14.2%Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 16.3% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 16.1% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage15%15%

Differences between principal, architectural firm and senior architect duties and responsibilities

Principal, architectural firm example responsibilities.

  • Create several Perl scripts to automate the installation and configuration of Sysedge agents on the servers.
  • Lead the development of BIM modeling content for the architecture team as a direct report to the executive and lead architects.
  • Respond to RFP's, prepare bid proposals and estimates for AE consulting services.
  • Prepare and administer construction documents MEP and blue prints using computer assist draw software and other computer applications.
  • Organize presentations for AIA competition projects.
  • Edit and render high quality video animation to provide the story frame-by-frame of modeling and surroundings.

Senior architect example responsibilities.

  • Manage software integration using middle-ware and other enterprise software such as CTI systems, workforce management systems, and ERP systems.
  • Develop several custom Java and Perl systems used to manage operations of critical systems.
  • Manage the development infrastructure, change control, configuration items and application security utilizing knowledge of information resource management.
  • Coordinate project management, solutions configuration, integration capabilities, and cloud computing functionality.
  • Design end to end CI/CD pipeline using Jenkins.
  • Develop apex triggers, classes and visualforce pages.
  • Show more

Principal, architectural firm vs senior architect skills

Common principal, architectural firm skills
  • Business Development, 75%
  • Enterprise Architecture, 12%
  • As-Built Drawings, 3%
  • RFP, 3%
  • Master Planning, 2%
  • Autocad, 2%
Common senior architect skills
  • Cloud, 8%
  • Java, 6%
  • Infrastructure, 5%
  • Emerging Technologies, 5%
  • AWS, 5%
  • Digital Transformation, 5%

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