Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between applications & systems engineers and lead engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an applications & systems engineer, becoming a lead engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an applications & systems engineer has an average salary of $97,919, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for an applications & systems engineer include application development, C++ and java. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Applications & Systems Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $97,919 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $47.08 | $40.83 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 367,806 | 301,777 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
An applications and systems engineer is an information technology (IT) expert whose responsibilities revolve around designing and developing applications and systems to optimize company operations. They typically perform internal assessments to identify company needs, evaluate existing systems and applications to determine areas needing improvements, establish testing structures, and providing solutions for different IT issues. Furthermore, as an application and systems engineer, it is essential to perform regular maintenance checks on IT systems and networks, ensuring efficiency and providing corrective measures as needed.
A lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, assessing risks, monitoring the budget, coordinating with clients and architects, and even training workers. Furthermore, as a lead engineer, it is crucial to conduct regular inspections to ensure the quality of work and maintain a safe environment for all workers.
Applications & systems engineers and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Applications & Systems Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $97,919 | $84,927 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $129,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an applications & systems engineer and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Applications & Systems Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between applications & systems engineers' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Applications & Systems Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 5% |