Head Engineer Salary in Chicago, Illinois

How much does a Head Engineer make in Chicago, IL?

As of March 01, 2025, the average annual salary for a Head Engineer in Chicago, IL is $221,172. Salary.com reports that pay typically ranges from $202,128 to $241,523, with most professionals earning between $184,788 and $260,051.

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Salary range for an Head Engineer

$202,128 to $241,523

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Head Engineer

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Job Openings for Head Engineer in Chicago, IL

What does a Head Engineer do?

Common responsibilities of a Head Engineer

Design and engineering of building power, lighting, and auxiliary systems.

October 11, 2022

Reviews professional engineering practices and policies and publications and develops/modifies engineering policies, procedures, standards and specifications, or other directives, manuals, and publications.

November 11, 2022

Performs repairs listed on work orders and maintains the work orders as a record of work completed.

January 09, 2023

Manages and reviews preliminary and final construction plans, special provisions, and plan quantities to ensure constructability, completeness, accuracy, and conformance to standards and specifications.

April 05, 2023

Developing system integration cases and procedures to be executed on system integration test stations, customer simulators, and on flight test vehicles.

April 07, 2023

Demonstrated organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills required to achieve the goals of the position.

April 12, 2023

Lead, advise, encourage, and facilitate personnel to create and explore innovative technologies and research.

April 25, 2023

Maintains knowledge of new technical developments in the discipline and assists technical leaders in the dispersion of this knowledge.

May 01, 2023

Provides project construction information to contractors, landowners, public officials, and the public.

May 04, 2023

Create designs to optimize weight, volume, cost and manufacturability while meeting structural, thermal and other environmental and functional requirements.

May 20, 2023

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Head Engineer Salary By Experience Levels in Chicago, IL

How much should you be earning in Head Engineer in Chicago, IL based on your current experience?

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RELEVANT JOB EXPERIENCE

Length of experience is a pay differentiator. Those with greater experience may have an advantage in negotiating salary. For those with less experience, other factors such as education or special skills could impact your pay. Please visit Professional Salary Report for more details.

Head Engineer Salary By Level of Education in Chicago, IL

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LEVEL OF EDUCATION

Depending on the job, educational levels may have a significant impact on pay levels. Be informed and understand how things like education and certifications can help to increase potential earnings for the career you are interested in. Please visit Professional Salary Report for more details.

Average Salary Range for Head Engineer in Chicago, IL

Average Base Salary

Core compensation

202128

241523

221172

Average Total Cash Compensation

Includes base and annual incentives

227647

292874

257316

What is the average salary for Head Engineer in 2025?

These charts show the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Head Engineer in Chicago, IL. The base salary for Head Engineer ranges from $202,128 to $241,523 with the average base salary of $221,172. The total cash compensation, which includes base, and annual incentives, can vary anywhere from $227,647 to $292,874 with the average total cash compensation of $257,316.

View Average Salary for Head Engineer as table

	Average Salary	Average Salary Range
Base Salary	$221,172	$202,128 - $241,523
Bonus	$36,144	$25,520 - $51,351
Total Pay	$257,316	$227,647 - $292,874

* Base Salary represents gross income before taxes and deductions. It does not include additional pay such as benefits, bonuses, profit sharing or commissions.

* Total Pay combines base salary, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job.

Head Engineer Salary Near Chicago, IL

CITY, STATE	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE	COMPARE TO Chicago, IL
CITY, STATE Cicero, IL	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $203,265 - $242,881	COMPARE TO Chicago, IL
CITY, STATE Oak Park, IL	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $203,265 - $242,881	COMPARE TO Chicago, IL
CITY, STATE Oak Lawn, IL	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $203,033 - $242,605	COMPARE TO Chicago, IL
CITY, STATE Evanston, IL	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $203,187 - $242,789	COMPARE TO Chicago, IL
CITY, STATE Skokie, IL	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $203,187 - $242,789	COMPARE TO Chicago, IL
CITY, STATE Arlington Heights, IL	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $198,638 - $237,353	COMPARE TO Chicago, IL

See salaries for Head Engineer in locations close to Chicago, IL. Pay for the same job may vary based on the location and on the location and on other factors such as the size of company, the industry, and other local conditions.

About Chicago, Illinois

Chicago (/ʃɪˈkɑːɡoʊ/ (listen), locally also /-ˈkɔː-/), officially the City of Chicago, is the most populous city in Illinois, as well as the third most populous city in the United States. With an estimated population of 2,716,450 (2017), it is the most populous city in the Midwest. Chicago is the principal city of the Chicago metropolitan area, often referred to as Chicagoland, and the county seat of Cook County, the second most populous county in the United States. The metropolitan area, at nearly 10 million people, is the third-largest in the United States, and the fourth largest in North A...

Source: Wikipedia (as of 04/11/2019). Read more from Wikipedia

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The Head Engineer job could be listed using titles that are not exactly the same, but actually are for the same or very similar job. Here are some job titles in Chicago, IL that might be a good fit for the type of job and salary you are looking for.

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