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The differences between functional leads and senior systems analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a functional lead and a senior systems analyst. Additionally, a functional lead has an average salary of $113,422, which is higher than the $82,717 average annual salary of a senior systems analyst.
The top three skills for a functional lead include ERP, client facing and enterprise solutions. The most important skills for a senior systems analyst are project management, java, and sql server.
| Functional Lead | Senior Systems Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $113,422 | $82,717 |
| Hourly rate | $54.53 | $39.77 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 33,917 | 154,569 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Functional leads are professionals who analyze business requirements and provide system design while implementing system solutions for various business initiatives. These professionals must work with clients and internal stakeholders to identify and understand the functional or business requirements. They must analyze and solve complex system problems so that they can improve the organization's overall Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) development and support process. Functional leads must also facilitate a team to design document control procedures that can significantly reduce process cycle time and cost.
A senior systems analyst is responsible for analyzing IT systems and networks, modifying existing systems for better optimization, and designing efficient technology systems from clients' specifications and business needs. Senior systems analysts regularly inspect the performance of the system networks, ensuring its efficiency and accuracy to support daily operations. They perform troubleshooting, upgrade network infrastructures, and maintain the highest security of the database. A senior systems analyst must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry and a strong command of system languages to mitigate system complexities and improve network processes.
Functional leads and senior systems analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Functional Lead | Senior Systems Analyst | |
| Average salary | $113,422 | $82,717 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $149,000 | Between $63,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | Credit Karma |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a functional lead and a senior systems analyst in terms of educational background:
| Functional Lead | Senior Systems Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between functional leads' and senior systems analysts' demographics:
| Functional Lead | Senior Systems Analyst | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.1% Female, 31.9% | Male, 72.2% Female, 27.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 24.9% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.5% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |