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The differences between test 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 test design engineer and a staff engineer. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, which is higher than the $88,403 average annual salary of a test design engineer.
The top three skills for a test design engineer include test equipment, RF and python. The most important skills for a staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Test Design Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,403 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $42.50 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 125,776 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A Test Design Engineer's job is to critically check all materials, processes, electrical, and mechanical systems to ensure that customers get high-quality products. As a Test Design Engineer, your job is to run tests to check the quality of products throughout the production cycle. This is done by checking the various components and features of these products to identify and fix technical issues easily. Your duties will also include checking the raw materials used for production, creating test environments and analyzing the results, and trying to ascertain the root cause of the malfunctions.
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.
Test design engineers and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Test Design Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,403 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $115,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Flexport |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a test design engineer and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Test Design Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between test design engineers' and staff engineers' demographics:
| Test Design Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.2% Female, 12.8% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.2% White, 67.1% 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% |