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The differences between engineering technician leads and lead engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an engineering technician lead, becoming a lead engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an engineering technician lead has an average salary of $107,373, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for an engineering technician lead include java, python and C++. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Engineering Technician Lead | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,373 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $51.62 | $40.83 |
| Growth rate | - | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 102,504 | 301,777 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 50 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 6 |
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.
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.
Engineering technician leads and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Technician Lead | Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $107,373 | $84,927 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $142,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an engineering technician lead and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Technician Lead | Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between engineering technician leads' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Engineering Technician Lead | Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 50 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 8% | 5% |