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The differences between senior controls engineers and controls designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior controls engineer and a controls designer. Additionally, a senior controls engineer has an average salary of $107,298, which is higher than the $91,944 average annual salary of a controls designer.
The top three skills for a senior controls engineer include control systems, HMI and C++. The most important skills for a controls designer are PLC, control panels, and IDS.
| Senior Controls Engineer | Controls Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,298 | $91,944 |
| Hourly rate | $51.59 | $44.20 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 39,440 | 79,729 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior controls engineer specializes in designing and developing control systems in various industries. Their responsibilities typically include identifying and understanding the company's needs, producing prototypes and test structures, gathering and analyzing data to identify areas needing improvement, implementing solutions in vulnerable areas, and providing technical support when necessary. Furthermore, as a senior controls engineer, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior engineers, all while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
Controls designers both design and draft systems of hydraulic, pneumatic, and electrical controls for equipment and machines. The designers make diagrams of the logic system for timing and sequence control. They illustrate and describe details for installation and maintenance, such as bearing lubrication and lubrication types. It is part of their job to review schematics with the representatives of customers to answer questions during robot system installation. Also, they may design energy conversion controls.
Senior controls engineers and controls designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Controls Engineer | Controls Designer | |
| Average salary | $107,298 | $91,944 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $138,000 | Between $69,000 And $121,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Sagent Pharmaceuticals | Visteon |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior controls engineer and a controls designer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Controls Engineer | Controls Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between senior controls engineers' and controls designers' demographics:
| Senior Controls Engineer | Controls Designer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4% | Male, 86.5% Female, 13.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 17.7% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |