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The differences between senior development engineers and senior project 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 project engineer. Additionally, a senior development engineer has an average salary of $113,763, which is higher than the $97,803 average annual salary of a senior project engineer.
The top three skills for a senior development engineer include java, python and C++. The most important skills for a senior project engineer are project management, construction management, and CAD.
| Senior Development Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $113,763 | $97,803 |
| Hourly rate | $54.69 | $47.02 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 295,281 | 146,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| 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 project engineer is responsible for monitoring the project team's overall process and operations from conceptualization until completion, ensuring the adherence to the clients' specifications, within the budget's goals, and the required deadline. Senior project engineers regularly communicate with the client regarding updates or necessary adjustments. They develop strategic procedures to finish the project efficiently by running diagnostic tests and troubleshooting discrepancies. A senior project engineer must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the team's performance and provide assistance when necessary.
Senior development engineers and senior project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Development Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $113,763 | $97,803 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $148,000 | Between $77,000 And $124,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Netflix | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior development engineer and a senior project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Development Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior development engineers' and senior project engineers' demographics:
| Senior Development Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0% | Male, 84.4% Female, 15.6% |
| 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, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 14.8% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |