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The differences between hardware test 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 test engineer and a lead hardware engineer. Additionally, a lead hardware engineer has an average salary of $121,252, which is higher than the $108,602 average annual salary of a hardware test engineer.
The top three skills for a hardware test engineer include python, test equipment and C++. The most important skills for a lead hardware engineer are RF, system design, and FPGA.
| Hardware Test Engineer | Lead Hardware Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,602 | $121,252 |
| Hourly rate | $52.21 | $58.29 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 77,022 | 39,713 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A hardware test engineer is an IT professional who is responsible for designing, implementing, and executing plans to test computer hardware systems. Hardware test engineers must collaborate with design engineers and the program team to plan the execution of test plans through the entire product development cycle. They are required to develop technical specifications for testers and accepting test equipment from vendors. Hardware test engineers should also be highly knowledgeable in programming languages such as Python and C++.
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 test engineers and lead hardware engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hardware Test Engineer | Lead Hardware Engineer | |
| Average salary | $108,602 | $121,252 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $142,000 | Between $89,000 And $163,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellevue, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a hardware test engineer and a lead hardware engineer in terms of educational background:
| Hardware Test Engineer | Lead Hardware Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between hardware test engineers' and lead hardware engineers' demographics:
| Hardware Test Engineer | Lead Hardware Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3% | Male, 92.8% Female, 7.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 30.6% White, 50.8% 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% |