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The differences between senior development engineers and senior 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 development engineer and a senior engineer. Additionally, a senior development engineer has an average salary of $113,763, which is higher than the $108,743 average annual salary of a senior engineer.
The top three skills for a senior development engineer include java, python and C++. The most important skills for a senior engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Senior Development Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $113,763 | $108,743 |
| Hourly rate | $54.69 | $52.28 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 295,281 | 343,200 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior development engineer is responsible for designing and developing products and systems according to the needs of an organization. They typically conduct extensive research and analysis, create plans with designers and other engineers, build prototypes and test structures, troubleshoot problems, and create strategies to optimize operations. Moreover, being the senior development engineer, they must lead and serve as a role model to junior engineers in reaching goals, all while enforcing and promoting the company's policies and regulations.
A senior engineer is responsible for overseeing all operations within a designated area. With years of experience and expertise, a senior engineer may take charge of establishing goals, deadlines, and budgets for a particular project. They must devise and implement strategies that would improve the quality of workflow and deliver significant results. Furthermore, a senior manager must also supervise a team of skilled engineers, leading them in the joint effort to reach the company's vision and mission, all while adhering to the safety standards and regulations.
Senior development engineers and senior engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Development Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average salary | $113,763 | $108,743 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $148,000 | Between $82,000 And $144,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Netflix | Roku |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a senior development engineer and a senior engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Development Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior development engineers' and senior engineers' demographics:
| Senior Development Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0% | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |