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The differences between sustaining engineers and staff engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a sustaining engineer, becoming a staff engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, which is higher than the $88,351 average annual salary of a sustaining engineer.
The top three skills for a sustaining engineer include troubleshoot, lean six sigma and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for a staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Sustaining Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,351 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $42.48 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 57,402 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A sustaining engineer is responsible for monitoring industrial operations, including the efficiency of processes and the performance of tools and equipment, ensuring high-quality deliverables for business objectives. Sustaining engineers evaluate the safety and security of the operations, strategizing techniques to manage potential hazards that may cause delays in the production. They also work with the management to identify opportunities to maximize productivity and maintain cost-reduction procedures, especially on materials and equipment. A sustaining engineer handles operational issues, as well as assessing incident reports for immediate resolution.
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.
Sustaining engineers and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sustaining Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,351 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $114,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Flexport |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a sustaining engineer and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Sustaining Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between sustaining engineers' and staff engineers' demographics:
| Sustaining Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 15.1% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |