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The differences between senior product design engineers and senior 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 senior engineer. Additionally, a senior engineer has an average salary of $108,743, 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 senior engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Senior Product Design Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,291 | $108,743 |
| Hourly rate | $49.18 | $52.28 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 175,933 | 343,200 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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 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 product design engineers and senior engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Product Design Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average salary | $102,291 | $108,743 |
| Salary range | Between $79,000 And $131,000 | Between $82,000 And $144,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Mexico | California |
| Best paying company | Roku | |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a senior product design engineer and a senior engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Product Design Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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 senior engineers' demographics:
| Senior Product Design Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.5% Female, 5.5% | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% |
| 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, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |