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Principle engineer vs senior staff engineer

The differences between principle engineers and senior 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 a principle engineer and a senior staff engineer. Additionally, a senior staff engineer has an average salary of $136,031, which is higher than the $126,143 average annual salary of a principle engineer.

The top three skills for a principle engineer include architecture, java and R. The most important skills for a senior staff engineer are python, java, and architecture.

Principle engineer vs senior staff engineer overview

Principle EngineerSenior Staff Engineer
Yearly salary$126,143$136,031
Hourly rate$60.65$65.40
Growth rate2%2%
Number of jobs158,235239,752
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4141
Years of experience66

Principle engineer vs senior staff engineer salary

Principle engineers and senior staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Principle EngineerSenior Staff Engineer
Average salary$126,143$136,031
Salary rangeBetween $92,000 And $171,000Between $95,000 And $194,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Mateo, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyThe Walt Disney CompanyAirbnb
Best paying industryFinanceTelecommunication

Differences between principle engineer and senior staff engineer education

There are a few differences between a principle engineer and a senior staff engineer in terms of educational background:

Principle EngineerSenior Staff Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCalifornia State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Principle engineer vs senior staff engineer demographics

Here are the differences between principle engineers' and senior staff engineers' demographics:

Principle EngineerSenior Staff Engineer
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 94.5% Female, 5.5%Male, 78.4% Female, 21.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% 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 Percentage5%5%

Differences between principle engineer and senior staff engineer duties and responsibilities

Principle engineer example responsibilities.

  • Lead cross-functional development initiatives compliant with FDA 21 CFR 820.
  • Code the Linux socket base GigE protocol to manage and transfer streams of video data.
  • Manage Terraform and refactore from monolithic to application specific components.
  • Set up and configure PHP Java bridge to enable invoking Java services from a PHP script.
  • Design and develop low-level FC device driver as well as the Linux kernel interface layer for the product.
  • Have a detail-orient with a track record of delivering infrastructure enhancements on time and with minimal impacts to production.
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Senior staff engineer example responsibilities.

  • Provide consultation to the ISO team in achieving certification, and enable company to win many more deals as a result.
  • Participate in iterative software development including UML modeling, code, unit test and integration of Java web services.
  • Develop command line interface (python) for backend distribute storage middleware.
  • Define and streamline API need to interface with new set of user applications.
  • Perform requirements gathering, functional analysis, mentoring, status tracking and reporting, Java and XSL coding.
  • Ensure properly working product by utilizing experience in code debugging, analyzing field log, and system test log.
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Principle engineer vs senior staff engineer skills

Common principle engineer skills
  • Architecture, 10%
  • Java, 9%
  • R, 5%
  • API, 4%
  • System Design, 4%
  • Product Development, 4%
Common senior staff engineer skills
  • Python, 11%
  • Java, 10%
  • Architecture, 9%
  • Software Development, 4%
  • Linux, 4%
  • SQL, 3%

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