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The differences between technical design engineers and staff 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 technical design engineer and a staff engineer. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, which is higher than the $75,599 average annual salary of a technical design engineer.
The top three skills for a technical design engineer include design drawings, windows and infrastructure. The most important skills for a staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Technical Design Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $75,599 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $36.35 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 173,548 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A technical design engineer specializes in designing a company's products and systems, ensuring quality and efficiency. Among their responsibilities include performing extensive research and analysis, understanding and identifying the needs of every project, developing prototypes and test structures, and coordinating with experts. There are also instances when they must conduct maintenance checks on current systems, executing repairs when necessary. Furthermore, as a technical design engineer, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff, coordinating them while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
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.
Technical design engineers and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Design Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $75,599 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $116,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | Flexport |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a technical design engineer and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Technical Design Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between technical design engineers' and staff engineers' demographics:
| Technical Design Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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 | 5% | 5% |