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The differences between staff electrical engineers and system design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a staff electrical engineer and a system design engineer. Additionally, a staff electrical engineer has an average salary of $112,225, which is higher than the $107,704 average annual salary of a system design engineer.
The top three skills for a staff electrical engineer include electrical engineering, analog and electrical systems. The most important skills for a system design engineer are system design, architecture, and MATLAB.
| Staff Electrical Engineer | System Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $112,225 | $107,704 |
| Hourly rate | $53.95 | $51.78 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 129,667 | 113,582 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A staff electrical engineer specializes in designing and developing electrical systems and equipment. Their responsibilities typically include understanding the project's needs, conducting research and analysis, creating prototypes and test structures, performing installations and adjustments, resolving and repairing issues, and developing strategies to enhance existing systems. They must also perform regular maintenance checks to maintain a safe and efficient work environment. Moreover, a staff electrical engineer may train junior engineers while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A system design engineer is an individual who participates in system design engineering and resolves manufacturing and service problems. System design engineers are required to collaborate with the system design team to research emerging technologies and develop new capabilities. They create design layouts by utilizing the use of CAD software such as AutoCad as well as supervise a group of CAD technicians. System design engineers must also provide customer service in the field and deliver individualized problem solving and system design support
Staff electrical engineers and system design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Electrical Engineer | System Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $112,225 | $107,704 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $152,000 | Between $77,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Cheniere Energy | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a staff electrical engineer and a system design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Staff Electrical Engineer | System Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between staff electrical engineers' and system design engineers' demographics:
| Staff Electrical Engineer | System Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4% | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 15.1% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 15.4% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |