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The differences between senior product designers and senior 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 designer and a senior principal engineer. Additionally, a senior principal engineer has an average salary of $130,642, which is higher than the $120,587 average annual salary of a senior product designer.
The top three skills for a senior product designer include sketch, user research and user experience. The most important skills for a senior principal engineer are python, architecture, and java.
| Senior Product Designer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $120,587 | $130,642 |
| Hourly rate | $57.97 | $62.81 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 121,037 | 272,459 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior product designer is responsible for coordinating with clients to identify their requirements and specifications for the development of new products and services that also comply with the company's regulations and functions. Senior product designers work with a whole project management team to identify opportunities that would generate more revenue resources by analyzing public demands on industry trends. They handle the allocation of materials and must be able to utilize digital tools and equipment to create content for brand awareness on different media platforms. A senior product designer reviews consumers' reviews to facilitate any adjustments with the product's features.
A senior principal engineer is responsible for leading engineering tasks within an organization and reports project updates to senior management. Senior principal engineers develop strategic methods and principles to improve the technical stability and efficiency of the company's systems, creating business proposals according to clients' specifications, and negotiating contracts with suppliers and other service providers. They also train new staff and identify innovations and business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources for the company.
Senior product designers and senior principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Product Designer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $120,587 | $130,642 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $165,000 | Between $93,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | ByteDance | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Professional |
There are a few differences between a senior product designer and a senior principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Product Designer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior product designers' and senior principal engineers' demographics:
| Senior Product Designer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.2% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |