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The differences between senior product development 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 development engineer and a principal engineer. Additionally, a principal engineer has an average salary of $130,213, which is higher than the $98,348 average annual salary of a senior product development engineer.
The top three skills for a senior product development engineer include CAD, solidworks and product development. The most important skills for a principal engineer are java, architecture, and python.
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $98,348 | $130,213 |
| Hourly rate | $47.28 | $62.60 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 195,294 | 312,683 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A product development engineer designs and develops new products in adherence to project goals and guidelines. They primarily perform research and assessments to identify and understand project requirements, select materials, develop drafts, create blueprints and prototypes, establish test structures for quality assurance, and facilitate upgrades as necessary. They can also produce product specifications and provide technical support to staff as necessary. Most product development engineers work in a team environment, which requires an open communication line for an efficient workflow.
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 development engineers and principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $98,348 | $130,213 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $126,000 | Between $95,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Grubhub |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior product development engineer and a principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior product development engineers' and principal engineers' demographics:
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.5% White, 68.0% 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% |