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The differences between senior operations engineers and senior 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 engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior operations engineer has an average salary of $112,583, which is higher than the $108,743 average annual salary of a senior engineer.
The top three skills for a senior operations engineer include python, AWS and cloud. The most important skills for a senior engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Senior Operations Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $112,583 | $108,743 |
| Hourly rate | $54.13 | $52.28 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 141,825 | 343,200 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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 engineer is responsible for overseeing all operations within a designated area. With years of experience and expertise, a senior engineer may take charge of establishing goals, deadlines, and budgets for a particular project. They must devise and implement strategies that would improve the quality of workflow and deliver significant results. Furthermore, a senior manager must also supervise a team of skilled engineers, leading them in the joint effort to reach the company's vision and mission, all while adhering to the safety standards and regulations.
Senior operations engineers and senior engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Operations Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average salary | $112,583 | $108,743 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $153,000 | Between $82,000 And $144,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Roku |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a senior operations engineer and a senior engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Operations Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior operations engineers' and senior engineers' demographics:
| Senior Operations Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3% | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% |
| 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, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |