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The differences between automotive engineers and lead engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an automotive engineer and a lead engineer. Additionally, a lead engineer has an average salary of $84,927, which is higher than the $82,211 average annual salary of an automotive engineer.
The top three skills for an automotive engineer include CAD, ISO and adaptive. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Automotive Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,211 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $39.52 | $40.83 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 104,464 | 301,777 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An automotive engineer specializes in designing and developing vehicles for public or private use. Their job entails conducting extensive research and analyses, conceptualizing plans with fellow experts, building prototypes and structures, troubleshooting problems, and implementing multiple test procedures to identify how the vehicle operates at different conditions and ensure its quality adheres to standards and regulations. Besides developing new vehicles, an automotive engineer may also modify existing models, which requires them to study the market and consumers' feedback, identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems, and coordinate upgrades.
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.
Automotive engineers and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automotive Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,211 | $84,927 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $118,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | Belmont, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Cal | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an automotive engineer and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Automotive Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between automotive engineers' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Automotive Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.0% Female, 7.0% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 15.9% White, 67.7% 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, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |