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The differences between senior production engineers and senior engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior production engineer, becoming a senior engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior production engineer has an average salary of $115,075, which is higher than the $108,743 average annual salary of a senior engineer.
The top three skills for a senior production engineer include continuous improvement, technical support and SR. The most important skills for a senior engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Senior Production Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $115,075 | $108,743 |
| Hourly rate | $55.32 | $52.28 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 94,542 | 343,200 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A senior production engineer supervises and improves plant and factory production. They manage engineering teams, update the manager about various issues, create safety protocols, and draw up strategies to enhance profit and production efficiency. Besides overseeing the production processes and ensuring the engineering teams perform quality work, senior production engineers also work hand-in-hand with other engineers to draw up programs that enhance the required labor, costs, and production. Moreover, these professionals identify, document, and report unsafe practices.
A senior engineer is responsible for overseeing all operations within a designated area. With years of experience and expertise, a senior engineer may take charge of establishing goals, deadlines, and budgets for a particular project. They must devise and implement strategies that would improve the quality of workflow and deliver significant results. Furthermore, a senior manager must also supervise a team of skilled engineers, leading them in the joint effort to reach the company's vision and mission, all while adhering to the safety standards and regulations.
Senior production engineers and senior engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Production Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average salary | $115,075 | $108,743 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $154,000 | Between $82,000 And $144,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Ep Energy | Roku |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a senior production engineer and a senior engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Production Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior production engineers' and senior engineers' demographics:
| Senior Production Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 14.9% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 4% | 5% |