Staff Engineer vs. Principal Engineer

A staff engineer is the lowest position of an engineer at a company, while a principal engineer is part of the engineering leadership at a company. Staff engineers design, build, and test structures, products, systems, services, or equipment, depending on their area of specialty. They are employed in a variety of industries and mainly specialize in civil, mechanical, industrial, or electrical engineering.

Staff Engineer vs. Senior Engineer

A staff engineer reports directly to directors of engineering, while a senior engineer is below a staff engineer in the hierarchy of a company. Staff engineers design, build, and test structures, products, systems, services, or equipment, depending on their area of specialty. They are employed in a variety of industries and mainly specialize in civil, mechanical, industrial, or electrical engineering. Staff engineers may also work in the technology space, such as a staff software engineer.

How do I become a Google staff engineer?

You become a Google staff engineer with a bachelor's degree in computer science or a similar degree and equivalent experience, plus eight years of work experience in software development. The engineering ladder at Google is climbed by leading significant and high-impact projects. Staff roles go beyond ownership and require leadership.

How much do staff engineers make?

Staff engineers's salary varies considerably based on industry. Staff engineer can refer to software engineering or industrial engineering with substantial pay and scope differences. A staff-level software engineer earns $147,000 on average, or $75 an hour. In addition to base pay, bonuses and stock options are added. An industrial engineer, in contrast, is paid an average salary of $92,660, or $46 per hour.

Is staff engineer a good role?

Yes, staff engineer is a good role. It is a senior-level role that is highly compensated. A staff-level software engineer earns $147,000 on average, $75 per hour. Salaries at Google or other large tech companies pay above average, between $150,000 to $290,000.

What is a staff engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Robert Saunders P.E.,

Brian Denton Ph.D.

A staff engineer is an experienced professional who works in the engineering field. They design and develop systems, manage projects, and oversee teams. Staff engineers may research new technologies, test products, and provide technical support. They typically have a background in engineering principles, advanced problem-solving skills, and excellent communication abilities. Overall, the role of a staff engineer ensures the on-time completion of engineering projects while maintaining quality performance and budget requirements.

What general advice would you give to a staff engineer?

Robert Saunders P.E.

Assistant Department Head, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

The job market for an electrical engineering student coming out of college is challenging right now. Many companies are still hiring electrical engineering students but, the students can't be as finicky about what jobs they are accepting. More than half of the students are starting their new jobs working remotely, which is a large shift from normal but the companies seem to be using this time to bring the new hires up to speed on policy, procedures, and industry regulations.

ScoreStaff EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $107,530

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.11%

Asian 16.85%

Black or African American 3.07%

Hispanic or Latino 7.84%

Unknown 4.51%

White 67.62%

Gender

female 12.14%

male 87.86%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a staff engineer?

Pros

Good salary and benefits
Opportunities for career advancement
Opportunity to mentor and teach junior engineers
Possibility of remote work
Strong job security

Cons

Long hours and tight deadlines
High levels of stress
Limited work-life balance
Possibility of working on mundane or routine projects
High level of competition for jobs and promotions within the field

Key steps to become a staff engineer

Explore staff engineer education requirements

Most common staff engineer degrees

Bachelor's

74.1 %

Master's

15.7 %

Associate

5.4 %

Start to develop specific staff engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Java	14.67%
Python	9.68%
Architecture	6.85%
Software Development	4.23%
Project Management	3.60%

Complete relevant staff engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New staff engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a staff engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real staff engineer resumes.

Research staff engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage complete design flow: schematic creation, layout design, PCB fabrication, parts procurement and assembly.
Develop and manage technical procedures for quality control to comply with ISO laboratory accreditation.
Implement a process for reusing SilverStream Java custom reports and UI code on a ColdFusion server saving 1.5 man-years of development.
Develop and document communication stack API, enabling parallel development of third-party stack and UI interface.

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