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The differences between weapons engineers and senior design 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 weapons engineer and a senior design engineer. Additionally, a senior design engineer has an average salary of $104,698, which is higher than the $99,077 average annual salary of a weapons engineer.
The top three skills for a weapons engineer include engineering support, electrical systems and ammunition. The most important skills for a senior design engineer are CAD, project management, and RF.
| Weapons Engineer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,077 | $104,698 |
| Hourly rate | $47.63 | $50.34 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 85,352 | 127,035 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A weapons engineer is responsible for developing, testing, and managing weapons systems on behalf of a government organization. They may work as an electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, nuclear engineer, chemical engineer, or aerospace engineer. They specialize in developing weapon technologies and national security technologies. A university degree is required to work as a weapons engineer in any defense organization.
A senior design engineer is responsible for creating mechanical and electrical designs for machines and systems, following clients' specifications and business guidelines. Senior design engineers also assist junior design engineers with their tasks, sharing best practices and techniques, and suggesting adjustments as needed. They also oversee the manufacturing process, inspect possible inconsistencies, and revise plans without exceeding the agreed budget or compromising the quality. A senior design engineer must be keen with details and highly organizational, especially on meeting deadlines with the highest client satisfaction.
Weapons engineers and senior design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Weapons Engineer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $99,077 | $104,698 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $150,000 | Between $80,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a weapons engineer and a senior design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Weapons Engineer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between weapons engineers' and senior design engineers' demographics:
| Weapons Engineer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4% | Male, 91.8% Female, 8.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.5% Asian, 11.1% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |