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The differences between hardware development engineers and lead hardware engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a hardware development engineer and a lead hardware engineer. Additionally, a lead hardware engineer has an average salary of $121,252, which is higher than the $119,370 average annual salary of a hardware development engineer.
The top three skills for a hardware development engineer include hardware development, analog and PCB. The most important skills for a lead hardware engineer are RF, system design, and FPGA.
| Hardware Development Engineer | Lead Hardware Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $119,370 | $121,252 |
| Hourly rate | $57.39 | $58.29 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 100,593 | 39,713 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A hardware development engineer carries out an analysis of the requirements of a needed product and tries to develop a prototype, taking into consideration the cost and specifications. You're also expected to work on already existing products and seek ways to modify them. You will be in charge of your team members and oversee all they do. Some of the hardware you may be required to design and test includes microprocessors, routers, keyboards, circuit boards, etc.
A lead hardware engineer partners with the mechanical engineering team and product team to design and define brand new hardware products. They lead the development of connectors, firmware protocols, cards, electric chargers, controllers, and chips. Besides supervising electrical and hardware engineers, lead hardware engineers also work hand-in-hand with business analysts, software engineers, and project managers. Other duties performed by lead hardware engineers include component sourcing and performing technical specification and technical requirements analysis. Also, they provide solutions for complicated material handling and paper challenges.
Hardware development engineers and lead hardware engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hardware Development Engineer | Lead Hardware Engineer | |
| Average salary | $119,370 | $121,252 |
| Salary range | Between $88,000 And $161,000 | Between $89,000 And $163,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a hardware development engineer and a lead hardware engineer in terms of educational background:
| Hardware Development Engineer | Lead Hardware Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between hardware development engineers' and lead hardware engineers' demographics:
| Hardware Development Engineer | Lead Hardware Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.2% Female, 12.8% | Male, 92.8% Female, 7.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 29.7% White, 50.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 29.5% White, 49.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |