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The differences between radio frequency engineers and staff design 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 radio frequency engineer and a staff design engineer. Additionally, a staff design engineer has an average salary of $128,071, which is higher than the $88,301 average annual salary of a radio frequency engineer.
The top three skills for a radio frequency engineer include test equipment, antenna and system performance. The most important skills for a staff design engineer are architecture, RF, and CAD.
| Radio Frequency Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,301 | $128,071 |
| Hourly rate | $42.45 | $61.57 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 35,158 | 154,963 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A radio frequency engineer, also known as RF engineer, specializes in designing and developing communication systems using radio waves. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around creating networks and systems and testing equipment. They make sure that equipment is up to high standards by traveling to different areas as needed, troubleshooting issues to identify the root of problems and performing corrective measures required. Furthermore, a radio frequency engineer must continuously optimize equipment quality and ensure efficiency while adhering to the laws and regulations.
Staff design engineers are tasked to assess the efficiency of instruments, technologies, and equipment by collaborating with the engineering team to plan, design, and develop technologies efficiently. Their responsibilities include building and setting up, as wells as improving systems and procedures. They should possess strong attention to detail, good visual and spatial awareness, creativity, problem-solving, excellent verbal, written, and project management skills, and strong mathematical and IT skills to become efficient and effective staff design engineers.
Radio frequency engineers and staff design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Radio Frequency Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,301 | $128,071 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $115,000 | Between $89,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | HBO |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a radio frequency engineer and a staff design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Radio Frequency Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between radio frequency engineers' and staff design engineers' demographics:
| Radio Frequency Engineer | Staff Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9% | Male, 75.7% Female, 24.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 20.7% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 23.8% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |