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The differences between engineering technician leads and senior engineering 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 senior engineering technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an engineering technician lead has an average salary of $107,373, which is higher than the $88,615 average annual salary of a senior engineering technician.
The top three skills for an engineering technician lead include java, python and C++. The most important skills for a senior engineering technician are java, SR, and emerging technologies.
| Engineering Technician Lead | Senior Engineering Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $107,373 | $88,615 |
| Hourly rate | $51.62 | $42.60 |
| Growth rate | - | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 102,504 | 94,734 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 50 | 45 |
| 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.
A Senior Engineering Technician uses the technical principles of engineering to create and develop a project or product. They also provide technical assistance to professional engineering staff on special projects.
Engineering technician leads and senior engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Technician Lead | Senior Engineering Technician | |
| Average salary | $107,373 | $88,615 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $142,000 | Between $63,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Idaho |
| Best paying company | Meta | CrowdStrike |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between an engineering technician lead and a senior engineering technician in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Technician Lead | Senior Engineering Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between engineering technician leads' and senior engineering technicians' demographics:
| Engineering Technician Lead | Senior Engineering Technician | |
| Average age | 50 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% | Male, 88.5% Female, 11.5% |
| 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, 8.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 11.3% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 6% |