How To Become A Senior Electronic Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior electronic engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Fred Garber Ph.D.

A senior electronic engineer is in charge of designing and creating electronic systems for a company working in manufacturing or technology. They can build anything from communication systems to military equipment. Senior electronic engineers need to be familiar with design principles in order to make mock-ups of working equipment. They need to know a lot about electronic hardware and coding languages used in developing electronic systems, such as VHDL. Besides the nitty-gritty work of building an electronic system, senior electronic engineers are responsible for the bigger picture, for example making sure that the equipment they are making complies with federal regulations. They also supervise a team of more junior electronic engineers.

Most senior electronic engineers have an advanced degree such as a master's in electrical engineering. However, some are able to get by with only a bachelor's degree or even an associate's degree.

Senior electronic engineers also need several years of experience working as electronic engineers before earning a promotion to a senior position. Then, they can expect to earn an average salary of $99,696 a year.

What general advice would you give to a senior electronic engineer?

Fred Garber Ph.D.

Professor, Electrical Engineering, Wright State University

I think the primary question, in the minds of those who are yet to graduate or are still searching, is in regard to the strength of the technical job market, especially the local job market. But you are in a position to definitively answer that question.

In you article, I would ask that you address the following:
Number of employers looking to fill and number of job offerings in the region (by engineering and computer science major) compared to last year and to the previous five years.

Any noticeable differences in job descriptions Zippia is receiving relative to work environment, benefits, starting salaries, etc.

Many of our soon-to-graduate students would be very interested in these quantitative and qualitative comparisons. Additionally, vast numbers of potential students would benefit from such information to guide their career choices.

ScoreSenior Electronic EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $106,931

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 15.88%

Black or African American 4.75%

Hispanic or Latino 10.95%

Unknown 4.69%

White 63.54%

Gender

female 3.67%

male 96.33%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.2

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior electronic engineer

Explore senior electronic engineer education requirements

Most common senior electronic engineer degrees

Bachelor's

64.9 %

Master's

20.0 %

Associate

10.7 %

Start to develop specific senior electronic engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Power Electronics	8.90%
Analog	7.14%
C++	5.63%
MATLAB	4.93%
PCB	4.46%

Complete relevant senior electronic engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior electronic engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior electronic engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior electronic engineer resumes.

Research senior electronic engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage product lines through UL, CE and other safety and emissions requirements.
Utilize system engineering to identify and achieve compliance for module/vehicle functionality, design direction, and EMC redesign support.
Apply technical knowledge in electromagnetic theory and microwave technology to plan and manage projects concern with ground-base radar systems.
Board designs include USB, SPI, I2C, RS232, SDI, CameraLink interfaces.

Get senior electronic engineer experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a senior electronic engineer. The most common roles before becoming a senior electronic engineer include electronics engineer, electrical engineer team lead and electronics technician.

Prepare your senior electronic engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior electronic engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior electronic engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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