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The differences between senior managers and principal 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 manager and a principal engineer. Additionally, a principal engineer has an average salary of $130,213, which is higher than the $118,906 average annual salary of a senior manager.
The top three skills for a senior manager include analytics, project management and portfolio. The most important skills for a principal engineer are java, architecture, and python.
| Senior Manager | Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $118,906 | $130,213 |
| Hourly rate | $57.17 | $62.60 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 372,801 | 312,683 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior manager is responsible for directing the overall efficiency of business operations. Senior managers monitor the performance of the staff, improve operational strategies, identify business opportunities, allocate budgets and resources, present reports to senior management, set goals to drive results on increasing the company's revenues and profitability. Senior managers must coordinate with various operations departments to maintain good feedback for the company, meeting client's expectations, and delivering the best results. They should have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle team members, as well as managing their needs and concerns.
A principal engineer is responsible for monitoring the overall design phase of the construction process, including coordinating with the client for progress and updates, as well as performing adjustments as needed based on clients' specifications and requirements. Principal engineers also inspect the materials and resources used to ensure that the project stays within the budget goals and set timeframe. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in preparing reports and training new staff.
Senior managers and principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Manager | Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $118,906 | $130,213 |
| Salary range | Between $86,000 And $163,000 | Between $95,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Cornerstone Research | Grubhub |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior manager and a principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Manager | Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior managers' and principal engineers' demographics:
| Senior Manager | Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.5% Female, 32.5% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.6% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 5% |