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The differences between staff engineers and senior product 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 staff engineer and a senior product engineer. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, which is higher than the $101,685 average annual salary of a senior product engineer.
The top three skills for a staff engineer include java, python and architecture. The most important skills for a senior product engineer are java, product engineering, and continuous improvement.
| Staff Engineer | Senior Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,530 | $101,685 |
| Hourly rate | $51.70 | $48.89 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 277,011 | 145,781 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations. Other duties include designing and developing machinery, tools, and engines, solving design problems, and building the manufacturing equipment needed to create their products.
A senior product engineer specializes in optimizing product designs and manufacturing procedures, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They are typically in charge of performing market research and analysis, utilizing the results as a basis in designing new products and upgrading existing designs. Moreover, they coordinate with product development teams to cultivate ideas, develop prototypes and test structures, and oversee the material selection that will make the products possible. As a senior product engineer, it is essential to monitor the entire progress and lead the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Staff engineers and senior product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Engineer | Senior Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $107,530 | $101,685 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $167,000 | Between $78,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | Mountain View, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Flexport | Cloudflare |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Technology |
There are a few differences between a staff engineer and a senior product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Staff Engineer | Senior Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between staff engineers' and senior product engineers' demographics:
| Staff Engineer | Senior Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.2% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |