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The differences between functional leads and 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 systems analyst. Additionally, a functional lead has an average salary of $113,422, which is higher than the $75,383 average annual salary of a systems analyst.
The top three skills for a functional lead include ERP, client facing and enterprise solutions. The most important skills for a systems analyst are customer service, project management, and troubleshoot.
| Functional Lead | Systems Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $113,422 | $75,383 |
| Hourly rate | $54.53 | $36.24 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 33,917 | 141,289 |
| 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 systems analyst is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of technology systems and analyzing its efficiency for business operations and clients' needs. Systems analysts create specific modifications to operating systems and help design solutions and processes. Other tasks include managing the system's workflow, diagnosing and detecting malfunctions, performing troubleshooting, and assisting clients' with their concerns. A systems analyst must have excellent command with programming languages and the knowledge with the technology industry to understand systems' complexities and processes.
Functional leads and systems analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Functional Lead | Systems Analyst | |
| Average salary | $113,422 | $75,383 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $149,000 | Between $58,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Finance |
There are a few differences between a functional lead and a systems analyst in terms of educational background:
| Functional Lead | 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 systems analysts' demographics:
| Functional Lead | Systems Analyst | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.1% Female, 31.9% | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% |
| 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, 10.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 14.4% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |