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The differences between senior product engineers and 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 engineer and a design engineer. Additionally, a senior product engineer has an average salary of $101,685, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a senior product engineer include java, product engineering and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Senior Product Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $101,685 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $48.89 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 145,781 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior product engineer specializes in optimizing product designs and manufacturing procedures, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They are typically in charge of performing market research and analysis, utilizing the results as a basis in designing new products and upgrading existing designs. Moreover, they coordinate with product development teams to cultivate ideas, develop prototypes and test structures, and oversee the material selection that will make the products possible. As a senior product engineer, it is essential to monitor the entire progress and lead the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Senior product engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Product Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $101,685 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $131,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mountain View, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Cloudflare | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior product engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Product Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior product engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Senior Product Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |