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The differences between instrumentation engineers and lead engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an instrumentation engineer, becoming a lead engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an instrumentation engineer has an average salary of $88,783, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for an instrumentation engineer include PLC, autocad and analyzers. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Instrumentation Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,783 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $42.68 | $40.83 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 45,735 | 301,777 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
An instrumentation engineer specializes in designing and developing equipment to optimize business processes. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the needs of a company, coordinating with different departments to gather data, devising strategies to create new processes, and preparing reports and presentations for the executives. An instrumentation engineer mostly performs installations and repairs; they also conduct regular maintenance to ensure the efficiency of facilities. Furthermore, they must answer inquiries and resolve issues and concerns, all in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
A lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, assessing risks, monitoring the budget, coordinating with clients and architects, and even training workers. Furthermore, as a lead engineer, it is crucial to conduct regular inspections to ensure the quality of work and maintain a safe environment for all workers.
Instrumentation engineers and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instrumentation Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,783 | $84,927 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $119,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Government | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an instrumentation engineer and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Instrumentation Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between instrumentation engineers' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Instrumentation Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 5% |