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The differences between senior staff engineers and lead 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 staff engineer and a lead design engineer. Additionally, a senior staff engineer has an average salary of $136,031, which is higher than the $108,490 average annual salary of a lead design engineer.
The top three skills for a senior staff engineer include python, java and architecture. The most important skills for a lead design engineer are CAD, project management, and lead design.
| Senior Staff Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $136,031 | $108,490 |
| Hourly rate | $65.40 | $52.16 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 239,752 | 118,073 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
A Lead Design Engineer produces design solutions that can be purchased, installed, and commissioned effectively. They are also responsible for the cost-effectiviness and safety of new designs.
Senior staff engineers and lead design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Staff Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $136,031 | $108,490 |
| Salary range | Between $95,000 And $194,000 | Between $82,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Agriculture |
There are a few differences between a senior staff engineer and a lead design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Staff Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | California State Polytechnic University, Pomona | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior staff engineers' and lead design engineers' demographics:
| Senior Staff Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.4% Female, 21.6% | Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 15.5% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |