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The differences between contracting 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 a contracting engineer and a lead engineer. Additionally, a contracting engineer has an average salary of $122,620, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for a contracting engineer include C++, C # and R. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Contracting Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $122,620 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $58.95 | $40.83 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 115,631 | 301,777 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A contracting engineer specializes in overseeing engineering projects, focusing on the legalities of contracts between clients and engineers to ensure fairness in all parties involved. Most of their duties are administrative, such as gathering and analyzing data, conducting research and analyses, setting budgets and guidelines, drafting commercial tenders and other paperwork, maintaining records, and executing contracts. They are also responsible for handling contract issues and concerns, solving them promptly and efficiently. Additionally, a contracting engineer maintains an open communication line with all parties to ensure a smooth workflow.
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.
Contracting engineers and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contracting Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $122,620 | $84,927 |
| Salary range | Between $86,000 And $173,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | EquiLend | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a contracting engineer and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Contracting Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between contracting engineers' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Contracting Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 70.5% 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% |