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The differences between senior directors of engineering and senior engineering managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes More than 10 years to become both a senior director of engineering and a senior engineering manager. Additionally, a senior director of engineering has an average salary of $177,949, which is higher than the $155,753 average annual salary of a senior engineering manager.
The top three skills for a senior director of engineering include cloud, architecture and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a senior engineering manager are java, architecture, and cloud.
| Senior Director Of Engineering | Senior Engineering Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $177,949 | $155,753 |
| Hourly rate | $85.55 | $74.88 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 75,555 | 70,918 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A senior director of engineering is responsible for the collaborative success of the engineering and technical projects of the organization. Senior directors of engineering coordinate with different project teams to identify and develop cost-reduction processes, as well as strategizing on procedures to maximize the team's effort and productivity within the approved deadline. They also implement quality assurance policies to ensure the efficiency and accuracy of the project's adherence to client specifications and business requirements. A senior director of engineering reports to the senior management, conducting data analysis and identifying business opportunities to maintain the company's financial growth and stability.
Senior engineering managers are the leaders who oversee and supervise a team of engineers. These executives are the ones who develop, modify, create, and test solutions to technical-related problems. They direct and coordinate the production, quality assurance, maintenance, operations, or testing in industrial plants. It is part of their job to handle the research and development of new procedures and products. They are also involved in improving the advance scientific research and manufacturing processes of the company.
Senior directors of engineering and senior engineering managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Director Of Engineering | Senior Engineering Manager | |
| Average salary | $177,949 | $155,753 |
| Salary range | Between $120,000 And $262,000 | Between $110,000 And $218,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Apple | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior director of engineering and a senior engineering manager in terms of educational background:
| Senior Director Of Engineering | Senior Engineering Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between senior directors of engineering' and senior engineering managers' demographics:
| Senior Director Of Engineering | Senior Engineering Manager | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.3% Female, 6.7% | Male, 89.9% Female, 10.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 17.0% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 2.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 17.6% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |