Staff mechanical engineer vs senior mechanical engineer

The differences between staff mechanical engineers and senior mechanical 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 mechanical engineer and a senior mechanical engineer. Additionally, a staff mechanical engineer has an average salary of $108,997, which is higher than the $103,836 average annual salary of a senior mechanical engineer.

The top three skills for a staff mechanical engineer include CAD, mechanical design and solidworks. The most important skills for a senior mechanical engineer are mechanical engineering, CAD, and solidworks.

Staff mechanical engineer vs senior mechanical engineer overview

	Staff Mechanical Engineer	Senior Mechanical Engineer
Yearly salary	$108,997	$103,836
Hourly rate	$52.40	$49.92
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	158,987	98,063
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	6	6

What does a staff mechanical engineer do?

A staff mechanical engineer designs and develops engines, tools, and machinery. Staff mechanical engineers create products like refrigerators, power tools, car engines, and turbines. They take part in cross-departmental and multi-functional design teams. They write handbooks, bulletins, and reports for use by department or staff. They have to lead project management from making ideas to launching the product. The skills they need to know to include mechanical design, product development, electrical systems, and detail orientation.

What does a senior mechanical engineer do?

A senior mechanical engineer is responsible for designing and improving mechanical equipment, as well as industrial devices and machinery. Senior mechanical engineers verify the materials and resources, ensuring that the processes meet the budget goals from clients' specifications and requirements. They also monitor the manufacturing process, developing strategic procedures for operations improvement, and maximizing staff productivity. A senior mechanical engineer runs multiple diagnostic tests to guarantee the stability and efficiency of the item and coordinating with the client for any plan adjustments as needed.

Staff mechanical engineer vs senior mechanical engineer salary

Staff mechanical engineers and senior mechanical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Mechanical Engineer	Senior Mechanical Engineer
Average salary	$108,997	$103,836
Salary range	Between $82,000 And $144,000	Between $79,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Rivian	Google
Best paying industry	Automotive	Energy

Differences between staff mechanical engineer and senior mechanical engineer education

There are a few differences between a staff mechanical engineer and a senior mechanical engineer in terms of educational background:

	Staff Mechanical Engineer	Senior Mechanical Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Mechanical Engineering	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	Michigan Technological University	Michigan Technological University

Staff mechanical engineer vs senior mechanical engineer demographics

Here are the differences between staff mechanical engineers' and senior mechanical engineers' demographics:

	Staff Mechanical Engineer	Senior Mechanical Engineer
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8%	Male, 94.2% Female, 5.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 16.9% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 15.8% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between staff mechanical engineer and senior mechanical engineer duties and responsibilities

Staff mechanical engineer example responsibilities.

Manage the development, prototyping, and implementation of tools and processes for production.
Provide mechanical design and sustaining engineering expertise to troubleshoot manufacturing defect trends and achieve a more robust and producible product.
Solve heat transfer problems relate to air and liquid heat exchangers using ANSYS CFX and thermal calculations.
Obtain UL & CSA agency recognition.
Collaborate with program managers and senior engineers to complete HVAC designs.
Solve fluid mechanic problems using ANSYS CFX and mechanical stress problems using Pro/Mechanica.

Senior mechanical engineer example responsibilities.

Create DFMEA documents to help manage risks and improve initial quality.
Set up and manage PCB manufacturing including all chemical baths, lasers, and exposure equipment.
Restructure VHDL code and chip/module hierarchy to achieve timing goals for the dual cache controller and the chip.
Achieve timely convergence of complex designs by building RTL models from validation area and integrating them, before official model release.
Lead FPGA development of key digital communication component used in successful demonstration of spacecraft radio link.
Provide mechanical design and sustaining engineering expertise to troubleshoot manufacturing defect trends and achieve a more robust and producible product.

Staff mechanical engineer vs senior mechanical engineer skills

Common staff mechanical engineer skills

CAD, 9%
Mechanical Design, 7%
Solidworks, 7%
FEA, 6%
Mechanical Systems, 5%
Product Development, 4%

Common senior mechanical engineer skills

Mechanical Engineering, 15%
CAD, 7%
Solidworks, 7%
Mechanical Design, 5%
Mechanical Systems, 5%
HVAC, 4%

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Staff Mechanical Engineer vs Senior Mechanical Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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