Post job

Senior research engineer vs senior staff engineer

The differences between senior research engineers and senior 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 research engineer and a senior staff engineer. Additionally, a senior staff engineer has an average salary of $136,031, which is higher than the $115,047 average annual salary of a senior research engineer.

The top three skills for a senior research engineer include python, java and project management. The most important skills for a senior staff engineer are python, java, and architecture.

Senior research engineer vs senior staff engineer overview

Senior Research EngineerSenior Staff Engineer
Yearly salary$115,047$136,031
Hourly rate$55.31$65.40
Growth rate2%2%
Number of jobs120,798239,752
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4141
Years of experience66

What does a senior research engineer do?

A Senior Research Engineer leads a team of engineers to develop and implement innovative products and technologies. They also provide training and technical support.

What does a senior staff engineer do?

A senior staff engineer is responsible for supervising a team of engineers, chemists, software developers, or molecular biologists. His/Her or her responsibilities include generating Structured Query Language (SQL) performance audit checklist template, creating SQL data query routines and functions for data extraction, and working directly with stakeholders. The job requires strong mechanical, listening, and mathematical skills and proficiency in Python programming language and computer architecture and hardware. The education requirements for the job include a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering, business, mechanical engineering, or a related field.

Senior research engineer vs senior staff engineer salary

Senior research engineers and senior staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Research EngineerSenior Staff Engineer
Average salary$115,047$136,031
Salary rangeBetween $87,000 And $151,000Between $95,000 And $194,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Mateo, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyNetflixAirbnb
Best paying industryFinanceTelecommunication

Differences between senior research engineer and senior staff engineer education

There are a few differences between a senior research engineer and a senior staff engineer in terms of educational background:

Senior Research EngineerSenior Staff Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCalifornia State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Senior research engineer vs senior staff engineer demographics

Here are the differences between senior research engineers' and senior staff engineers' demographics:

Senior Research EngineerSenior Staff Engineer
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 88.8% Female, 11.2%Male, 78.4% Female, 21.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% 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 Percentage5%5%

Differences between senior research engineer and senior staff engineer duties and responsibilities

Senior research engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage a proof-of-concept and prototyping program for a vehicle tagging and electronic tracking system.
  • Carry out ETL tasks using Java and Apache/Hadoop.
  • Design plastic and metal components for cells and batteries using Solidworks.
  • Select to travel to Malaysia to identify and resolve issues in filter prototyping and manufacture.
  • Develop test plans and set ups for imaging, chemical sensing, RF devices, and composite materials.
  • Project include optics, lasers, high-speed digital, high speed A2D, RF, liquid helium, etc.
  • Show more

Senior staff engineer example responsibilities.

  • Provide consultation to the ISO team in achieving certification, and enable company to win many more deals as a result.
  • Participate in iterative software development including UML modeling, code, unit test and integration of Java web services.
  • Develop command line interface (python) for backend distribute storage middleware.
  • Define and streamline API need to interface with new set of user applications.
  • Perform requirements gathering, functional analysis, mentoring, status tracking and reporting, Java and XSL coding.
  • Ensure properly working product by utilizing experience in code debugging, analyzing field log, and system test log.
  • Show more

Senior research engineer vs senior staff engineer skills

Common senior research engineer skills
  • Python, 15%
  • Java, 6%
  • Project Management, 4%
  • Software Development, 4%
  • Data Analysis, 4%
  • C, 4%
Common senior staff engineer skills
  • Python, 11%
  • Java, 10%
  • Architecture, 9%
  • Software Development, 4%
  • Linux, 4%
  • SQL, 3%

Browse architecture and engineering jobs