Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between development managers and lead technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a development manager, becoming a lead technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a development manager has an average salary of $110,678, which is higher than the $90,615 average annual salary of a lead technician.
The top three skills for a development manager include project management, customer service and patients. The most important skills for a lead technician are java, architecture, and digital transformation.
| Development Manager | Lead Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $110,678 | $90,615 |
| Hourly rate | $53.21 | $43.56 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 111,137 | 250,590 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 2 |
A development manager is responsible for assisting existing clients or potential clients of the services they need. A development manager serves as the initial point of contact for the clients to answer their inquiries and concerns before proceeding with a contract. Development managers usually arrange meetings with clients, analyze business opportunities, improve marketing initiatives to attract clients, research the industry's latest trends, create proposals, and assist in training new staff members. A development manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle staff performance and build professional relationships with clients.
Lead technicians are technicians who oversee the technical needs of a specific project or department. They are usually tenured employees, and their familiarity with the company's technical and technological processes, software, and hardware would be a great advantage in succeeding in their role. Lead technicians are responsible for installing, updating, and maintaining various software and hardware components in the office. They often manage a group of technicians, and they ensure that the group they manage is properly trained and well-versed on the processes of the company. Lead technicians are expected to have strong analytical skills and decision-making skills.
Development managers and lead technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Development Manager | Lead Technician | |
| Average salary | $110,678 | $90,615 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $159,000 | Between $67,000 And $121,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a development manager and a lead technician in terms of educational background:
| Development Manager | Lead Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between development managers' and lead technicians' demographics:
| Development Manager | Lead Technician | |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.5% Female, 39.5% | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 15.1% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |