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Senior field engineer vs engineer

The differences between senior field engineers and engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a senior field engineer, becoming an engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior field engineer has an average salary of $97,104, which is higher than the $92,077 average annual salary of an engineer.

The top three skills for a senior field engineer include RF, technical support and excellent interpersonal. The most important skills for an engineer are python, cloud, and C++.

Senior field engineer vs engineer overview

Senior Field EngineerEngineer
Yearly salary$97,104$92,077
Hourly rate$46.68$44.27
Growth rate3%2%
Number of jobs86,767618,207
Job satisfaction-4.33
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4541
Years of experience26

What does a senior field engineer do?

A senior field engineer is in charge of overseeing and providing technical support on-site, helping operations run smoothly and efficiently. Among their responsibilities include performing installations and upgrades, performing research and analysis, managing staff, producing progress reports, and conducting inspections, ensuring compliance with state laws and regulations. They must also perform regular maintenance checks on equipment, performing corrective repairs and adjustments when necessary. Furthermore, as a senior field engineer, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior engineers while implementing the site's safety policies and regulations.

What does an engineer do?

Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.

Senior field engineer vs engineer salary

Senior field engineers and engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Field EngineerEngineer
Average salary$97,104$92,077
Salary rangeBetween $67,000 And $139,000Between $65,000 And $130,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAHuntsville, AL
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew Hampshire
Best paying companyAppleFort Bend County
Best paying industryEnergyAutomotive

Differences between senior field engineer and engineer education

There are a few differences between a senior field engineer and an engineer in terms of educational background:

Senior Field EngineerEngineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringMechanical Engineering
Most common collegeMichigan Technological UniversityMichigan Technological University

Senior field engineer vs engineer demographics

Here are the differences between senior field engineers' and engineers' demographics:

Senior Field EngineerEngineer
Average age4541
Gender ratioMale, 95.1% Female, 4.9%Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 15.0% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage6%5%

Differences between senior field engineer and engineer duties and responsibilities

Senior field engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage a team of 10 engineers to install and repair commercial HVAC and refrigeration units.
  • Promote from original position as a staff engineer managing a variety of geotechnical engineering activities to a field engineer inspector position.
  • Upgrade firmware on all components in the SAN.
  • Provide UNIX host setup and provide administration for the duration of the engagement.
  • Work with vendor partners to troubleshoot hardware and software issues with core nodes.
  • Perform site acceptance testing and provide system maintenance support for FAA and DOD sites.
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Engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage startup, trouble shooting and testing of PLC control equipment.
  • Lead project team to design and FDA validate 10-up extreme accuracy vial dosing system and CIP/SIP automate cleaning equipment.
  • Automate the creation of a WebLogic Admin and manage server deployment scheme within an installer for secure application deployment.
  • Install and test PLC in client own equipment on site - solve some logical and hardware issues to accomplish goal
  • Implement and manage continuous delivery systems and methodologies on AWS.
  • Manage Terraform and refactore from monolithic to application specific components.
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Senior field engineer vs engineer skills

Common senior field engineer skills
  • RF, 7%
  • Technical Support, 6%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
  • Technical Problems, 5%
  • Test Equipment, 5%
  • Linux, 4%
Common engineer skills
  • Python, 8%
  • Cloud, 6%
  • C++, 5%
  • C #, 5%
  • AWS, 5%
  • Java, 4%

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