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Bench technician vs engineering technician lead

The differences between bench technicians and engineering technician leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a bench technician and an engineering technician lead. Additionally, an engineering technician lead has an average salary of $107,373, which is higher than the $41,317 average annual salary of a bench technician.

The top three skills for a bench technician include troubleshoot, PC and windows. The most important skills for an engineering technician lead are java, python, and C++.

Bench technician vs engineering technician lead overview

Bench TechnicianEngineering Technician Lead
Yearly salary$41,317$107,373
Hourly rate$19.86$51.62
Growth rate--
Number of jobs79,375102,504
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age5050
Years of experience1212

What does a bench technician do?

A Bench Technician specializes in installing, maintaining, and repairing electronic equipment and machinery. Although the extent of their responsibilities primarily depends on their place or employment industry, it typically includes conducting inspections and assessments, programming and troubleshooting systems, replacing and fixing components, and producing progress reports as needed. Moreover, a Bench Technician must maintain an active communication line with co-workers while adhering to its safety standards and regulations for a safe and efficient work environment.

What does an engineering technician lead do?

Engineering technician leads are technical professionals who lead a team to design and build prototypes of a planned product or equipment. These technician leads are required to provide advice and technical support to the engineering team to resolve technical issues as well as oversee system maintenance and enhancement. They must work with both product development and manufacturing engineers to improve the existing manufacturing processes. Engineering technician leads must also participate in activities related to maintenance and troubleshooting of equipment.

Bench technician vs engineering technician lead salary

Bench technicians and engineering technician leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

Bench TechnicianEngineering Technician Lead
Average salary$41,317$107,373
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $57,000Between $80,000 And $142,000
Highest paying City-Palo Alto, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Meta
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between bench technician and engineering technician lead education

There are a few differences between a bench technician and an engineering technician lead in terms of educational background:

Bench TechnicianEngineering Technician Lead
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNortheastern UniversityStanford University

Bench technician vs engineering technician lead demographics

Here are the differences between bench technicians' and engineering technician leads' demographics:

Bench TechnicianEngineering Technician Lead
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 89.4% Female, 10.6%Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between bench technician and engineering technician lead duties and responsibilities

Bench technician example responsibilities.

  • Lead small teams in the development and installation of residential and commercial electrical and HVAC systems to include smart home systems.
  • Trouble-shoot and repair all boards to component level using oscilloscopes DMM's and spectrum analyzers.
  • Place fine pitch IC's and other parts as needed.
  • Repair pads and trace connectors on modems.
  • Repair and replace components within all iPhone models.
  • Experience reworking fine pitch devices and BGA components.
  • Show more

Engineering technician lead example responsibilities.

  • Lead and install CCTV systems and equipment specializing in Vicon.
  • Manage cost savings initiatives with lean implementation and reduce risks via PFMEA and SPC.
  • Implement and maintain site telephony infrastructure; organize and manage high-level enterprise-scale voice deployment projects.
  • Design and develop automation framework using python and perforce API to automate daily integration work.
  • Mount telecommunication equipment such as cable trays, routers and switches by following set industry standards.
  • Perform data analysis and troubleshoot system failure utilizing oscilloscope, function generator and calibration devices.
  • Show more

Bench technician vs engineering technician lead skills

Common bench technician skills
  • Troubleshoot, 13%
  • PC, 8%
  • Windows, 6%
  • Circuit Boards, 6%
  • Test Equipment, 5%
  • Component Level Repair, 4%
Common engineering technician lead skills
  • Java, 16%
  • Python, 9%
  • C++, 5%
  • Project Management, 4%
  • Azure, 4%
  • JavaScript, 4%

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