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What is a lead application developer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Frank McCown Ph.D.,
Kevin Treu Ph.D.

As a lead application developer, you will direct the development team in the design, development, coding, testing, and debugging of applications.

You will test, write, modify, and document software for client applications according to their requirements.. You will guide other employees in application development methodology. You will write code to create user interface event driver applications and use source debuggers and visual development environments. Essential skills required to successfully complete these responsibilities are communication; creativity; technical knowledge of software such as C++, PHP, Visual Basic and other related softwares; leadership skills; and organizational skills.

To qualify for this role, you need a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field, along with at least three years of proven work experience. Moreover, several years of work as a successful technical team leader is required sometimes. The average hourly pay for this position is $55.61, which amounts to more than $115,000 annually. The role of lead application developer is expected to grow substantially in the near future and create new opportunities across the United states.

What general advice would you give to a lead application developer?

Frank McCown Ph.D.Frank McCown Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor, Harding University

The market is stable for software developers, despite the economic challenges created by the pandemic. Before accepting a job offer, talk to the company's employees through online meetings or email, and see what they think of the company. Do they enjoy their work? Are there opportunities to learn new technologies? How does the company treat their employees? There's a good chance you will be working remotely in your first job, so you will need to exercise a lot of self-discipline, be punctual for online meetings, do the work you've been assigned, and know when to ask questions when you get stuck. Expect a steeper-than-normal learning curve if you are working remotely instead of in an office.
ScoreLead Application DeveloperUS Average
Salary
8.0

Avg. Salary $115,737

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
4.0

Growth rate 21%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 29.78%

Black or African American 4.62%

Hispanic or Latino 8.39%

Unknown 4.85%

White 52.20%

Gender

female 17.07%

male 82.93%

Age - 38
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38
Stress level
4.0

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Lead application developer career paths

Key steps to become a lead application developer

  1. Explore lead application developer education requirements

    Most common lead application developer degrees

    Bachelor's

    68.4 %

    Master's

    21.0 %

    Associate

    5.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific lead application developer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Java9.59%
    C++5.04%
    Application Development4.69%
    JavaScript4.48%
    API4.18%
  3. Complete relevant lead application developer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead application developers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a lead application developer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead application developer resumes.
  4. Research lead application developer duties and responsibilities

    • Lead migration of the legacy core services to a rest API architecture.
    • Configure and manage JGroup multicasting communication for apache tomcat web servers.
    • Used web services to get product pricing from mainframe.
    • Used JavaScript, Ajax for validating the values in the pages.
  5. Get lead application developer experience

    Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a lead application developer. The most common roles before becoming a lead application developer include senior software engineer, applications developer team lead and programmer analyst.
  6. Prepare your lead application developer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lead application developer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a lead application developer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable lead application developer resume templates

    Build a professional lead application developer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your lead application developer resume.
    Lead Application Developer Resume
    Lead Application Developer Resume
    Lead Application Developer Resume
    Lead Application Developer Resume
    Lead Application Developer Resume
    Lead Application Developer Resume
    Lead Application Developer Resume
    Lead Application Developer Resume
    Lead Application Developer Resume
  7. Apply for lead application developer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a lead application developer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first lead application developer job

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Average lead application developer salary

The average lead application developer salary in the United States is $115,737 per year or $56 per hour. Lead application developer salaries range between $90,000 and $147,000 per year.

Average lead application developer salary
$115,737 Yearly
$55.64 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do lead application developers rate their job?

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Lead application developer reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2023
Pros

Problem solving and cutting edge technology - always learning and evolving my skill set

Cons

Still have to deal with people :)


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

I enjoyed working on creative problems that dealt with the user interface

Cons

I didn't like how technical it could become


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A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Pros

Designing a new system or making changes to an old one.

Cons

Compensation. Pay and Benefits do not match the time spent on a project. Alabama is the Worst state to live in for SOFTWARE ENGINEER Salaries. 40 to 50 percent less than our peer States.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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