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The differences between senior design engineers and senior mechanical 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 design engineer and a senior mechanical designer. Additionally, a senior design engineer has an average salary of $104,698, which is higher than the $103,765 average annual salary of a senior mechanical designer.
The top three skills for a senior design engineer include CAD, project management and RF. The most important skills for a senior mechanical designer are CAD, mechanical design, and GD.
| Senior Design Engineer | Senior Mechanical Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $104,698 | $103,765 |
| Hourly rate | $50.34 | $49.89 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 127,035 | 71,958 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior design engineer is responsible for creating mechanical and electrical designs for machines and systems, following clients' specifications and business guidelines. Senior design engineers also assist junior design engineers with their tasks, sharing best practices and techniques, and suggesting adjustments as needed. They also oversee the manufacturing process, inspect possible inconsistencies, and revise plans without exceeding the agreed budget or compromising the quality. A senior design engineer must be keen with details and highly organizational, especially on meeting deadlines with the highest client satisfaction.
A Senior Mechanical Designer is responsible for creating effective mechanical designs for their company and developing mechanical concepts in accordance with project requirements. They assist the engineering manager in coaching other mechanical engineers to develop design skills.
Senior design engineers and senior mechanical designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Design Engineer | Senior Mechanical Designer | |
| Average salary | $104,698 | $103,765 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $136,000 | Between $81,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | ||
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior design engineer and a senior mechanical designer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Design Engineer | Senior Mechanical Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between senior design engineers' and senior mechanical designers' demographics:
| Senior Design Engineer | Senior Mechanical Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.8% Female, 8.2% | Male, 94.1% Female, 5.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 11.4% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |