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The differences between senior product development engineers and staff 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 staff engineer. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, 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 staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $98,348 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $47.28 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 195,294 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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.
Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations. Other duties include designing and developing machinery, tools, and engines, solving design problems, and building the manufacturing equipment needed to create their products.
Senior product development engineers and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $98,348 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $126,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Flexport |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior product development engineer and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior product development engineers' and staff engineers' demographics:
| Senior Product Development Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| 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, 16.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |