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The differences between engineering support specialists and support leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an engineering support specialist and a support lead. Additionally, a support lead has an average salary of $86,816, which is higher than the $70,461 average annual salary of an engineering support specialist.
The top three skills for an engineering support specialist include engineering support, CAD and data entry. The most important skills for a support lead are customer service, cash management, and POS.
| Engineering Support Specialist | Support Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $70,461 | $86,816 |
| Hourly rate | $33.88 | $41.74 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 159,095 | 98,872 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An engineering support specialist's role is vital, especially as it relates to security and databases. They ensure that all technicalities of the project, be it for the support, maintenance, or machines' operation instructions, function well. They perform troubleshooting and system updating if needed. They can also recommend ways to improve the operation by reviewing existing programs and applying new upgrades as allowed and suitable for the system. They should report any malfunctions to personnel concerned.
A support lead is typically in charge of overseeing the performance of a technical support team, ensuring efficiency and customer satisfaction. Their responsibilities revolve around assessing the performance of the workforce, resolving complex issues, identifying customer needs and sales opportunities, and training new team members. They may also perform calls and correspondence, respond to inquiries, and resolve issues promptly. Furthermore, as a support lead, it is essential to perform clerical tasks such as preparing progress reports, managing schedules, and maintaining records of transactions.
Engineering support specialists and support leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Support Specialist | Support Lead | |
| Average salary | $70,461 | $86,816 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $104,000 | Between $63,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | California |
| Best paying company | Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc. | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between an engineering support specialist and a support lead in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Support Specialist | Support Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between engineering support specialists' and support leads' demographics:
| Engineering Support Specialist | Support Lead | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7% | Male, 52.3% Female, 47.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 11.5% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 14.6% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |