Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between weapons 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 weapons engineer and a staff engineer. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, 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 staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Weapons Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,077 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $47.63 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 85,352 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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.
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.
Weapons engineers and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Weapons Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $99,077 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $150,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Flexport |
| Best paying industry | - | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a weapons engineer and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Weapons Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between weapons engineers' and staff engineers' demographics:
| Weapons Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| 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, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |