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The differences between weapons engineers and senior principal 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 principal engineer. Additionally, a senior principal engineer has an average salary of $130,642, 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 principal engineer are python, architecture, and java.
| Weapons Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,077 | $130,642 |
| Hourly rate | $47.63 | $62.81 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 85,352 | 272,459 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| 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 principal engineer is responsible for leading engineering tasks within an organization and reports project updates to senior management. Senior principal engineers develop strategic methods and principles to improve the technical stability and efficiency of the company's systems, creating business proposals according to clients' specifications, and negotiating contracts with suppliers and other service providers. They also train new staff and identify innovations and business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources for the company.
Weapons engineers and senior principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Weapons Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $99,077 | $130,642 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $150,000 | Between $93,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a weapons engineer and a senior principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Weapons Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between weapons engineers' and senior principal engineers' demographics:
| Weapons Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4% | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% |
| 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, 17.2% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |