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The differences between engineering technician leads and lead test technicians 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 test technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an engineering technician lead has an average salary of $107,373, which is higher than the $81,566 average annual salary of a lead test technician.
The top three skills for an engineering technician lead include java, python and C++. The most important skills for a lead test technician are java, QA, and test strategy.
| Engineering Technician Lead | Lead Test Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $107,373 | $81,566 |
| Hourly rate | $51.62 | $39.21 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 102,504 | 51,060 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 50 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
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.
Lead test technicians are professionals who are responsible for leading a group of test professionals to test products and report their findings to engineers or product developers. These technicians are required to design and develop test plans and procedures so that they can validate the requirements of products. They are required to use various test equipment as well as to conduct maintenance to ensure the product's functionality and quality. Lead test technicians must also gather and analyze user feedback to improve the overall user experience and satisfaction.
Engineering technician leads and lead test technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Technician Lead | Lead Test Technician | |
| Average salary | $107,373 | $81,566 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $142,000 | Between $65,000 And $101,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Meta | Macy's |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an engineering technician lead and a lead test technician in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Technician Lead | Lead Test Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between engineering technician leads' and lead test technicians' demographics:
| Engineering Technician Lead | Lead Test Technician | |
| Average age | 50 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% | Male, 70.3% Female, 29.7% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |