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The differences between senior product design engineers 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 product design engineer and a principal engineer. Additionally, a principal engineer has an average salary of $130,213, which is higher than the $102,291 average annual salary of a senior product design engineer.
The top three skills for a senior product design engineer include CAD, solidworks and prototype. The most important skills for a principal engineer are java, architecture, and python.
| Senior Product Design Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,291 | $130,213 |
| Hourly rate | $49.18 | $62.60 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 175,933 | 312,683 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior product design engineer oversees system development, developing processes, and methodologies geared at promoting customer satisfaction. They are charged with analyzing and directing recommendations for resolving problems to fulfill client expectations. Their responsibilities include planning projects, conducting standard functional analysis of products to translate customer specification into product performance criteria, conducting benchmarking studies, and analyzing products' market performance to facilitate competitive delivery of designs.
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 product design engineers and principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Product Design Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $102,291 | $130,213 |
| Salary range | Between $79,000 And $131,000 | Between $95,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Mexico | California |
| Best paying company | Grubhub | |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior product design engineer and a principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Product Design Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior product design engineers' and principal engineers' demographics:
| Senior Product Design Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.5% Female, 5.5% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 15.4% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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 | 5% | 5% |