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The differences between senior design engineers and staff 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 senior design engineer and a staff engineer. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, which is higher than the $104,698 average annual salary of a senior design engineer.
The top three skills for a senior design engineer include CAD, project management and RF. The most important skills for a staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Senior Design Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $104,698 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $50.34 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 127,035 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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.
Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations. Other duties include designing and developing machinery, tools, and engines, solving design problems, and building the manufacturing equipment needed to create their products.
Senior design engineers and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Design Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $104,698 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $136,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Flexport | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior design engineer and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Design Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior design engineers' and staff engineers' demographics:
| Senior Design Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.8% Female, 8.2% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |