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The differences between senior product development engineers and senior design 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 senior design engineer. Additionally, a senior design engineer has an average salary of $104,698, 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 senior design engineer are CAD, project management, and RF.
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $98,348 | $104,698 |
| Hourly rate | $47.28 | $50.34 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 195,294 | 127,035 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| 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 senior design engineer is responsible for creating mechanical and electrical designs for machines and systems, following clients' specifications and business guidelines. Senior design engineers also assist junior design engineers with their tasks, sharing best practices and techniques, and suggesting adjustments as needed. They also oversee the manufacturing process, inspect possible inconsistencies, and revise plans without exceeding the agreed budget or compromising the quality. A senior design engineer must be keen with details and highly organizational, especially on meeting deadlines with the highest client satisfaction.
Senior product development engineers and senior design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $98,348 | $104,698 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $126,000 | Between $80,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior product development engineer and a senior design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior product development engineers' and senior design engineers' demographics:
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5% | Male, 91.8% Female, 8.2% |
| 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, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |