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Job outlook for senior systems sales engineers in the United States
Senior systems sales engineer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected senior systems sales engineer job growth rate is 6% from 2018-2028.
About 3,400 new jobs for senior systems sales engineers are projected over the next decade.
Senior systems sales engineer salaries have increased 9% for senior systems sales engineers in the last 5 years.
There are over 4,972 senior systems sales engineers currently employed in the United States.
There are 88,219 active senior systems sales engineer job openings in the US.
The average senior systems sales engineer salary is $117,846.
Are senior systems sales engineer jobs in demand?
Senior systems sales engineer job and salary trends over time
Senior systems sales engineer jobs over time
Senior systems sales engineer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,972 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 5,325 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 5,306 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 5,487 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 5,913 | 0.00% |
Average senior systems sales engineer salary over time
Senior systems sales engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $117,846 | $56.66 | +4.7% |
| 2024 | $112,508 | $54.09 | +2.4% |
| 2023 | $109,822 | $52.80 | +2.7% |
| 2022 | $106,898 | $51.39 | --1.3% |
| 2021 | $108,284 | $52.06 | +2.4% |
Senior systems sales engineer jobs by state
Most common states for senior systems sales engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 604 | 87% |
| 2 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 3,066 | 36% |
| 3 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,868 | 31% |
| 4 | Vermont | 623,657 | 154 | 25% |
| 5 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,357 | 24% |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 305 | 23% |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 244 | 23% |
| 8 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,625 | 22% |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,482 | 22% |
| 10 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 898 | 22% |
| 11 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 646 | 21% |
| 12 | Delaware | 961,939 | 204 | 21% |
| 13 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 920 | 19% |
| 14 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 393 | 19% |
| 15 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 109 | 19% |
| 16 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 979 | 18% |
| 17 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 337 | 18% |
| 18 | Alaska | 739,795 | 136 | 18% |
| 19 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 1,181 | 17% |
| 20 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 129 | 17% |
Most common cities for senior systems sales engineers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlotte | 1 | 0% | $105,482 |
Senior Systems Sales Engineer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of senior systems sales engineer experts
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
University of Washington
Portland State University
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
University of New Hampshire
Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Northeastern University
Indiana University Bloomington
Kennesaw State University
Idaho State University
Pennsylvania State University - Great Valley
What general advice would you give to a Senior Systems Sales Engineer?
Don Gelosh Ph.D.: Systems Engineering is a contact sport. As a systems engineer you are expected to be a leader.
Successful systems engineers are those who get out of their office and engage with other
engineers and technicians who work on complex systems. On any given day, systems engineers
could be working on a team, possibly leading that team, in one of the several phases of the
design and development effort. They may be working with stakeholders to determine their
requirements for the complex system or they may be working with validation test engineers to
determine if the complex system will satisfy the stakeholders needs.
While it would be expected that you are very knowledgeable in a few discipline areas, such as
electrical, mechanical or chemical engineering, you are not expected to be an expert in all
areas. However, you would be expected to know the experts in those fields and others and
how they should be involved in the overall development process. You would be expected to
understand the many processes of systems engineering and how each process contributes to
the success of the complex system.
You would also be expected to thoroughly understand any other systems and the operational
environment that will interface and interact with your system. As a systems engineer, you
would be expected to understand the big picture of the complex system.
What Senior Systems Sales Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Don Gelosh Ph.D.: Being a systems engineer provides you with many opportunities to learn and grow. Systems engineers
have the opportunity to learn all they can about a specific engineering discipline field of choice (i.e.,
electrical, mechanical, chemical, power, etc.). Systems engineers are also expected to learn in general
what engineers and technicians in other disciplines do on a daily basis. Systems engineers should talk to
other systems engineers about their daily activities as much as possible. Systems engineers should learn
how to lead people and manage resources; they should learn how to both lead and serve on teams.
Systems engineers should prepare themselves through education, training, and experience for
opportunities to grow and take on new responsibilities.
One dislike may be the long hours in dealing with the challenges of developing complex systems.
However, if you enjoy this type of work, the rewards of leading and managing the creation of successful
systems will be worth the effort it takes.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Senior Systems Sales Engineers?
Les Atlas: Most certainly an impact, a very strong impact. The best lesson for us is from the 1919 Spanish Flu pandemic. That strain of flu still circulates as a seasonal virus. Over 100 years laters, it is now considered a Phase 6 pandemic by the World Health Organization. While it is reduced due to current social distancing and mask wearing, the 1919 Spanish Flu virus still causes community-level outbreaks in multiple parts of the globe. Societal changes from this event of over 100 years ago are still with us.
In fact, they changed society. As is well-documented, after a high level of immunity was reached in the 1920's, the resulting labor shortage enabled workers to demand better living and working conditions, as well as better wages and public health care. As just one example of the societal changes due to the 1919 pandemic, the drop in the male labor force empowered male workers, and also changed the gender composition.
The aftermath of the 1919 pandemic was the start of women joining the labour force. In the United States, the proportion of women in the labour force rose from 18 per cent in 1900 to almost 21 per cent in 1920. In that same year, with the ratification of the 19th Amendment of the Constitution, the Congress of the United States guaranteed all American women the right to vote.
The current COVID-19 pandemic will certainly change the way we live, be it our mobility or the kinds of career options people have. After our current year-long experience in remote learning and work, will we go back to the inefficiencies of going to our office every work day? Or will remote work be acceptable, where one's residence will not be dependent upon the locations of employment. Will we avoid future hotspots of infection, choosing to instead reside and travel in areas where infection is decreasing? Will we prefer to travel on aircraft which are certified to be virus-free and frequent restaurants which are documented to be safer? Future marketing will likely make a sharp turn in this direction.
Dr. Wayne Wakeland Ph.D.
Professor and Systems Science Program ChairPortland State University
Systems science program
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Senior Systems Sales Engineer job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Wayne Wakeland Ph.D.: Obviously, there is and will continue to be increased receptivity to (and necessity of) working remotely. This is likely to benefit some job seekers. On the other hand, the weakened economy, which may take years to recover, means that less jobs are/will be available, and, therefore, the competition for attractive jobs will be intense.
What Senior Systems Sales Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Wayne Wakeland Ph.D.: For analyst positions, I think that employers want to hire people with strong data analysis skills, which, of course, includes statistics, but also big data, machine learning (algorithms), computer-based modeling, and programming. And, in addition to these apparently rather specialized skills, there is growing recognition that a talent for thinking, communicating, and problem-solving in a very general sense, and being able to cope with/address complexity, is also quite important.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Systems Sales Engineer?
Dr. Wayne Wakeland Ph.D.: Develop a thoughtful combination of technical skills/expertise and qualitative resources/assets/prowess. Purely technical savvy can go a long way, but it is not enough. Employers are eager to hire well-rounded, easy to work with employees and leaders who can go deeper technically as required.
Dr. T.S. Kalkur
Department ChairUniversity of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Senior Systems Sales Engineers?
Dr. T.S. Kalkur: Yes, students complained that, while they are earning an online degree, they aren't learning as much.
Marc Lessard
ProfessorUniversity of New Hampshire
Physics and Astronomy Department and Space Science Center
What experience really stands out on Senior Systems Sales Engineer resumes?
Marc Lessard: Students who have been significantly involved in research projects have a distinct advantage over those who haven't. Those who began such work (which is typically paid) as sophomores or juniors often will have played a significant role in these real-world research efforts, which can be very different than what might be tackled as part of a capstone project.
Written and oral presentation skills are also essential!
Austin McCoy
Director of Javelina Engineering Student Success CenterTexas A&M University - Kingsville
Engineering Department
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Senior Systems Sales Engineer job market given the pandemic?
Austin McCoy: -Adapting to the virtual setting
Remote work is becoming more of an option for employees.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Senior Systems Sales Engineers to find work opportunities?
Austin McCoy: -I think that if enough effort is put into looking for a job, there is an ability to find a job in just about any location
-The ABC's of job searching: Any job, Better job, Career job
What Senior Systems Sales Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Laura A. Meyer M. Ed.: Students should really be working on honing the skills in their areas of focus and interest. With that said, they should also work toward becoming more well-rounded in all areas. A few of my students have realized through job postings, they have found that although they may want to work in data, knowing the basics of programming will be useful as well.
Dr. Ariful Azad Ph.D.
Director of Graduate Studies for the Dept. of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Assistant Professor of Intelligent Systems EngineeringIndiana University Bloomington
Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering
What general advice would you give to a Senior Systems Sales Engineer?
Dr. Ariful Azad Ph.D.: Look for a job that you would enjoy doing, even if it takes some time to find such a position. Internships are great to explore various options.
What experience really stands out on Senior Systems Sales Engineer resumes?
Adeel Khalid Ph.D.: It is the age of diversity. A graduate can stand out when their resume shows a broad portfolio of experiences. In addition to a solid academic record, students who demonstrate that they can take on challenging tasks and work beyond a degree's basic requirements are more likely to be successful. I advise students to get involved in various activities, including undergraduate research projects, student design competitions, student organizations, internships, co-ops, etc. All of these should be highlighted on the resume. When a recruiter sees an overview of a student that shows relevant work experience in the form of work-study, internships, or co-op or research, their resume automatically comes to the top of the pile.
Vince Bowen
Executive Director, Department Chair Energy Systems Technology & Education Center (ESTEC)Idaho State University
College of Technology
What type of skills will young Senior Systems Sales Engineers need?
Vince Bowen: How to learn. How to problem-solve. Emotional Intelligence to work in teams and get along with coworkers/customers. Then they need the tech skills.
How do you envision technology impacting Senior Systems Sales Engineers in the next 5 years?
Vince Bowen: AI and IoT are the newest technologies in the area and will have an enormous impact on training programs.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Senior Systems Sales Engineers to find work opportunities?
Vince Bowen: Any large city will have several openings. Beyond that, these people can work anywhere in the world.
How do you envision technology impacting Senior Systems Sales Engineers in the next 5 years?
Nil Ergin Ph.D.: Advances in sensors, networking, communication, and computing are shaping the systems and services that are designed and deployed. Systems are becoming increasingly complex and interconnected; thus, more challenging to manage. Systems engineering discipline is becoming an essential element of managing and designing these systems. The field is evolving to address the challenges emerging from these advances in technology, including but not limited to, methods and tools to improve system resiliency, flexibility, agility, security, privacy, along with new ways to manage, design, and evaluate complexity.