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There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a research chief engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $48.32 an hour? That's $100,501 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 5,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What Does a Research Chief Engineer Do

There are certain skills that many research chief engineers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and detail oriented.

Learn more about what a Research Chief Engineer does

How To Become a Research Chief Engineer

If you're interested in becoming a research chief engineer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 58.7% of research chief engineers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 18.8% of research chief engineers have master's degrees. Even though most research chief engineers have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Average Salary for a Research Chief Engineer

Research Chief Engineers in America make an average salary of $100,501 per year or $48 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $125,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $80,000 per year.
Average Research Chief Engineer Salary
$100,501 Yearly
$48.32 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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Roles and Types of Research Chief Engineer

There are several types of research chief engineer, including:

Engineer

Role:

Engineers design and develop new products in a variety of different industries. They might be mechanical or software engineers or create electric machinery, design chemical or geotechnical processes, or help to structure civil or management disciplines. Whatever the case may be, engineers are involved in creating the diverse technologies that facilitate the processes of our lives in different areas. Combining creative thinking with the principles of mathematics and science using a wide range of technical skills, engineers work on the design, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance of various products from machines, vehicles, buildings, and roads to software or social processes serving consumers, businesses, and societies.


Engineers are creative thinkers and brilliant problem solvers. They excel at mathematical, scientific, and mechanical analysis. They follow plans and blueprints with a strong focus, yet remain flexible and work well under pressure.


Engineers develop systems for solving various problems as members of a team. They know that a single component is worthless without their counterparts, so they have to be great communicators, as well, to be successful at their job.

  • Average Salary: $92,077
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Product Engineering Manager

Role:

Product engineering is the process of designing and producing a device. A product engineering manager, therefore, is the one who coordinates all the production processes, from designing to assembling to the actual production process.


Their responsibility is to review new product designs, analyze the cost implications, and oversee every requirement for the product to be made. After meeting the requirements, they then approve production. Every part of the production process is handled by the product engineering manager, as they verify every aspect. By implication, no technical work is executed without their lead.


A product engineering manager must possess a degree in engineering and years of experience as a product engineer before they can qualify to be a product engineering manager. Other skills they should have include strong leadership skills, interpersonal skills, and communication skills

  • Average Salary: $125,592
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Research Chief Engineer Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active research chief engineer jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where research chief engineers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Research Chief Engineer Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California5,849$110,078
2Texas2,583$93,343
3Florida1,947$83,846
4Virginia1,677$87,403
5Pennsylvania1,656$98,275
6Illinois1,434$101,103
7Georgia1,253$93,816
8Ohio1,186$91,253
9North Carolina1,099$91,933
10New Jersey1,082$104,511
11Michigan1,037$90,736
12Colorado921$91,835
13Minnesota901$80,901
14New York891$106,250
15Oregon817$97,949
16Arizona800$89,776
17Tennessee718$84,058
18Indiana658$94,733
19Missouri654$77,486
20Washington641$105,525
21Massachusetts634$106,391
22Wisconsin542$109,112
23Maryland511$87,411
24Connecticut424$105,881
25Utah423$87,354
26South Carolina332$79,642
27Alabama330$95,348
28Nebraska319$85,795
29Iowa303$81,563
30Oklahoma283$93,308
31Louisiana277$94,300
32New Mexico271$87,838
33Kansas250$85,403
34Kentucky239$78,645
35New Hampshire214$96,433
36Nevada203$119,252
37Delaware203$95,987
38Arkansas193$97,438
39Rhode Island184$98,268
40Idaho174$96,896
41Maine155$94,430
42Mississippi154$95,664
43West Virginia153$84,203
44Vermont133$87,720
45Montana124$100,047
46South Dakota124$91,879
47Hawaii97$84,658
48Wyoming79$80,226
49North Dakota75$90,304
50Alaska36$90,010

Research Chief Engineer Education

Research Chief Engineer Majors

8.1 %

Research Chief Engineer Degrees

Bachelors

58.7 %

Masters

18.8 %

Doctorate

16.7 %

Top Colleges for Research Chief Engineers

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

2. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-State Tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

3. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

4. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

8. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

9. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

Top Skills For a Research Chief Engineer

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 85.0% of research chief engineers listed r on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.

Research Chief Engineer diversity

Research Chief Engineer Gender Distribution

Male
Male
66%
Female
Female
34%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among research chief engineers, 34.4% of them are women, while 65.6% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among research chief engineers is White, which makes up 67.3% of all research chief engineers.

  • The most common foreign language among research chief engineers is Spanish at 17.6%.

Online Courses For Research Chief Engineer That You May Like

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1. Data Management for Clinical Research

coursera

This course presents critical concepts and practical methods to support planning, collection, storage, and dissemination of data in clinical research. Understanding and implementing solid data management principles is critical for any scientific domain. Regardless of your current (or anticipated) role in the research enterprise, a strong working knowledge and skill set in data management principles and practice will increase your productivity and improve your science. Our goal is to use these...

2. Research Data Management and Sharing

coursera

This course will provide learners with an introduction to research data management and sharing. After completing this course, learners will understand the diversity of data and their management needs across the research data lifecycle, be able to identify the components of good data management plans, and be familiar with best practices for working with data including the organization, documentation, and storage and security of data. Learners will also understand the impetus and importance of...

3. Research Methodology: Complete Research Project Blueprint

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4.7
(535)

Research Methodology From A-Z. A Step-by-Step Guide Through Research Design, Data Collection, Analysis, & Interpretation...

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Best States For a Research Chief Engineer

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a research chief engineer. The best states for people in this position are Nevada, California, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts. Research chief engineers make the most in Nevada with an average salary of $119,252. Whereas in California and Wisconsin, they would average $110,078 and $109,112, respectively. While research chief engineers would only make an average of $106,391 in Massachusetts, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Pennsylvania

Total Research Chief Engineer Jobs: 1,656
Highest 10% Earn:
$121,000
Location Quotient:
1.14

2. Nevada

Total Research Chief Engineer Jobs: 203
Highest 10% Earn:
$157,000
Location Quotient:
0.78

3. California

Total Research Chief Engineer Jobs: 5,849
Highest 10% Earn:
$145,000
Location Quotient:
1.61
Full List Of Best States For Research Chief Engineers

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Top Research Chief Engineer Employers

Most Common Employers For Research Chief Engineer

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1JPMorgan Chase & Co.$115,502$55.531
2CBS Sports Network$113,984$54.801
3Zoetis$112,038$53.861
4Hearst$109,555$52.671
5JP Enterprises$105,494$50.721
6LG Electronics$102,392$49.236
7MAT Holdings$97,295$46.781
8JR Associates Group$96,839$46.561
9IBM$92,355$44.401
10Pacific Companies$91,005$43.751