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The differences between principal manufacturing engineers and senior staff engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a principal manufacturing engineer, becoming a senior staff engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior staff engineer has an average salary of $136,031, which is higher than the $94,463 average annual salary of a principal manufacturing engineer.
The top three skills for a principal manufacturing engineer include CAD, continuous improvement and process control. The most important skills for a senior staff engineer are python, java, and architecture.
| Principal Manufacturing Engineer | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,463 | $136,031 |
| Hourly rate | $45.41 | $65.40 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 91,957 | 239,752 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
Principle Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for leading an organization's operations involved in reducing cost, increasing production capacity, and implementing new efficient processes. Their duties include developing production capacity cost and quality targets and implementing workforce utilization, workspace efficiency, workflow, and equipment layout. They also manage project milestones by working closely with internal groups and suppliers. Principle Manufacturing Engineers review production data gathered, supervise production process improvements, and assist in the accurate manufacturing documentation.
A senior staff engineer is responsible for supervising a team of engineers, chemists, software developers, or molecular biologists. His/Her or her responsibilities include generating Structured Query Language (SQL) performance audit checklist template, creating SQL data query routines and functions for data extraction, and working directly with stakeholders. The job requires strong mechanical, listening, and mathematical skills and proficiency in Python programming language and computer architecture and hardware. The education requirements for the job include a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering, business, mechanical engineering, or a related field.
Principal manufacturing engineers and senior staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Manufacturing Engineer | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $94,463 | $136,031 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $122,000 | Between $95,000 And $194,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | ZS | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a principal manufacturing engineer and a senior staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Principal Manufacturing Engineer | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
Here are the differences between principal manufacturing engineers' and senior staff engineers' demographics:
| Principal Manufacturing Engineer | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% | Male, 78.4% Female, 21.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 17.2% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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% |