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The differences between engineering systems analysts and lead systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an engineering systems analyst, becoming a lead systems engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a lead systems engineer has an average salary of $119,705, which is higher than the $89,433 average annual salary of an engineering systems analyst.
The top three skills for an engineering systems analyst include MATLAB, data analysis and C++. The most important skills for a lead systems engineer are systems engineering, architecture, and infrastructure.
| Engineering Systems Analyst | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,433 | $119,705 |
| Hourly rate | $43.00 | $57.55 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 192,726 | 186,392 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
Engineering Systems Analysts are responsible for examining, designing, and managing IT architecture and systems to improve business productivity and efficiency. Their duties include liaising with external and internal clients, conducting analysis on clients' business and IT systems models, creating project briefs, preparing proposals, developing costing reports and project feasibility, and identifying potential solutions. Engineering Systems Analyst also participates in project budgeting, scheduling document testings, overseeing data migration, supporting system updates, and working with testers and developers to ensure user satisfaction and technical compatibility. They help in implementing user manuals and training for new users. They must keep abreast with industry regulations and technical requirements.
A lead systems engineer is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the systems infrastructure and improving the stability of the operating systems to support business operations. Lead systems engineers install and upgrade software applications and ensure that the technical strategies meet the quality standards and business requirements. They also enhance the performance of the existing systems, configuring features for optimization. A lead systems engineer must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in supporting the end-users with technical failures and identifying accurate resolutions.
Engineering systems analysts and lead systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Systems Analyst | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,433 | $119,705 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $118,000 | Between $90,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Parsons | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an engineering systems analyst and a lead systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Systems Analyst | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between engineering systems analysts' and lead systems engineers' demographics:
| Engineering Systems Analyst | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.3% Female, 20.7% | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.6% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 12.5% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 9% |