Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between project development engineers and senior project 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 project development engineer, becoming a senior project engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior project engineer has an average salary of $97,803, which is higher than the $85,059 average annual salary of a project development engineer.
The top three skills for a project development engineer include renewable energy, project management and cost estimates. The most important skills for a senior project engineer are project management, construction management, and CAD.
| Project Development Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,059 | $97,803 |
| Hourly rate | $40.89 | $47.02 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 120,300 | 146,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A project development engineer designs and develops projects according to the client or company's goals and requirements. They typically perform extensive research and analysis, establish prototypes and test structures, coordinate with fellow experts, and study existing projects to identify their strengths and weaknesses, implementing solutions against problem areas. They may also provide technical guidance and support to staff, train junior engineers, and develop strategies to optimize project operations. Moreover, a project development engineer must maintain an active communication line with teams while enforcing safety policies and project regulations.
A senior project engineer is responsible for monitoring the project team's overall process and operations from conceptualization until completion, ensuring the adherence to the clients' specifications, within the budget's goals, and the required deadline. Senior project engineers regularly communicate with the client regarding updates or necessary adjustments. They develop strategic procedures to finish the project efficiently by running diagnostic tests and troubleshooting discrepancies. A senior project engineer must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the team's performance and provide assistance when necessary.
Project development engineers and senior project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Development Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,059 | $97,803 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $110,000 | Between $77,000 And $124,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Cheniere Energy | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a project development engineer and a senior project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Project Development Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between project development engineers' and senior project engineers' demographics:
| Project Development Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.5% Female, 15.5% | Male, 84.4% Female, 15.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.7% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 14.8% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |