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The differences between senior mechanical project engineers and senior mechanical designers 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 mechanical project engineer and a senior mechanical designer. Additionally, a senior mechanical designer has an average salary of $103,765, which is higher than the $84,631 average annual salary of a senior mechanical project engineer.
The top three skills for a senior mechanical project engineer include project management, CAD and solidworks. The most important skills for a senior mechanical designer are CAD, mechanical design, and GD.
| Senior Mechanical Project Engineer | Senior Mechanical Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,631 | $103,765 |
| Hourly rate | $40.69 | $49.89 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 101,563 | 71,958 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior mechanical project engineer designs, researches, builds, tests, and improves systems, equipment, electrical devices, and mechanical devices. They design various machines such as engines, turbines, and generators using CAD software. They develop design prototypes, allocate time and resources as needed, and evaluate data to create reports. These professionals communicate with clients, directors, and staff and attend meetings to provide inputs and updates. Moreover, senior mechanical project engineers deliver safe and useful products within budget and on time.
A Senior Mechanical Designer is responsible for creating effective mechanical designs for their company and developing mechanical concepts in accordance with project requirements. They assist the engineering manager in coaching other mechanical engineers to develop design skills.
Senior mechanical project engineers and senior mechanical designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Mechanical Project Engineer | Senior Mechanical Designer | |
| Average salary | $84,631 | $103,765 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $107,000 | Between $81,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Texas | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior mechanical project engineer and a senior mechanical designer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Mechanical Project Engineer | Senior Mechanical Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between senior mechanical project engineers' and senior mechanical designers' demographics:
| Senior Mechanical Project Engineer | Senior Mechanical Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.2% Female, 5.8% | Male, 94.1% Female, 5.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 15.0% White, 68.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 11.4% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |