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The differences between senior operations engineers and senior applications 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 operations engineer, becoming a senior applications engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior operations engineer has an average salary of $112,583, which is higher than the $107,989 average annual salary of a senior applications engineer.
The top three skills for a senior operations engineer include python, AWS and cloud. The most important skills for a senior applications engineer are java, C++, and database.
| Senior Operations Engineer | Senior Applications Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $112,583 | $107,989 |
| Hourly rate | $54.13 | $51.92 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 141,825 | 274,466 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
Senior operations engineers are engineering professionals who ensure that the operations of an organization are working properly and meet both factory and management specifications. These engineers are required to create maintenance procedures that are adaptable to the existing maintenance management software for the newly installed facilities and equipment. They must provide technical support to the organization's operations, such as project design, plant optimization, project management, and startup. Senior operations engineers must also implement effective process improvements so that they can increase productivity and reduce production costs.
A senior applications engineer specializes in designing and developing a variety of applications and systems, ensuring quality and efficiency. Their responsibilities typically revolve around utilizing feedback and client needs when making decisions, creating test structures for applications, performing installment and repairs, troubleshooting, and performing regular maintenance checks and upgrades. Furthermore, as a senior applications engineer, it is essential to lead and encourage the engineering team to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Senior operations engineers and senior applications engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Operations Engineer | Senior Applications Engineer | |
| Average salary | $112,583 | $107,989 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $153,000 | Between $84,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Netflix |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a senior operations engineer and a senior applications engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Operations Engineer | Senior Applications Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior operations engineers' and senior applications engineers' demographics:
| Senior Operations Engineer | Senior Applications Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 12.4% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |