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The differences between senior production engineers and senior software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior production engineer and a senior software engineer. Additionally, a senior production engineer has an average salary of $115,075, which is higher than the $114,494 average annual salary of a senior software engineer.
The top three skills for a senior production engineer include continuous improvement, technical support and SR. The most important skills for a senior software engineer are java, python, and javascript.
| Senior Production Engineer | Senior Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $115,075 | $114,494 |
| Hourly rate | $55.32 | $55.05 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 94,542 | 338,989 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
Senior software engineers are experienced employees who would usually take the lead in projects related to software development. They are in charge of determining the needs of the organization, checking whether there are feasible solutions to challenges, and creating plans for the development of a software solution. They provide a sound analysis of data collected during the testing phase of the software and address any problems during the software development phase. Once the software has been developed, they then ensure that it works well and that it addresses the needs and expectations of the users.
Senior production engineers and senior software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Production Engineer | Senior Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $115,075 | $114,494 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $154,000 | Between $86,000 And $151,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Ep Energy | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Retail |
There are a few differences between a senior production engineer and a senior software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Production Engineer | Senior Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior production engineers' and senior software engineers' demographics:
| Senior Production Engineer | Senior Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% |
| 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, 4.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 31.8% White, 50.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 8% |