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The differences between process & automation engineers and senior staff engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a process & automation 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 $87,723 average annual salary of a process & automation engineer.
The top three skills for a process & automation engineer include PLC, project management and C++. The most important skills for a senior staff engineer are python, java, and architecture.
| Process & Automation Engineer | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,723 | $136,031 |
| Hourly rate | $42.17 | $65.40 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 66,311 | 239,752 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
Process & automation engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for optimizing the industrial process of manufacturing companies while maintaining automated machinery used in the process. These engineers are required to manage process improvement projects that focus on cost reduction and increasing the profits of the company. They must use PLC/SCADA technologies to develop industrial automation and process control systems. Process & automation engineers must also conduct troubleshooting and maintenance activities to optimize the performance of all automated manufacturing machinery.
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.
Process & automation engineers and senior staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Process & Automation Engineer | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $87,723 | $136,031 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $110,000 | Between $95,000 And $194,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Cepheid | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a process & automation engineer and a senior staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Process & Automation Engineer | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
Here are the differences between process & automation engineers' and senior staff engineers' demographics:
| Process & Automation Engineer | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7% | Male, 78.4% Female, 21.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 13.3% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 4% | 5% |