What does a lead architect do?
A lead architect spearheads architectural operations while maintaining an active communication line with clients. They typically meet with clients to discuss the project's needs and specifications, agree on a budget, provide advice and recommendations, and negotiate contracts. They are also in charge of developing building designs, coordinating staff, devising plans, incorporating essential systems, and providing technical and guidance as needed. Moreover, as the lead architect of the project, they must enforce policies and regulations to maintain a smooth and efficient workflow.
Lead architect responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real lead architect resumes:
- Provide insight and manage all technology relate aspects with presentations and communications at Sr. management and CxO level.
- Hook up the JSP plugins with spring bind and JSTL tags in the HTML pages.
- Work with Jenkins CI server.
- Develop Linux user space C/C++/Python (Gstreamer, plugins) for multimedia.
- Initiate requirements gathering, designing, and rolling out the ERP solution.
- Lead other developers to start using it and changing their framework to MVC.
- Work on AngularJS and on JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3 in the front-end development.
- Attend daily scrum calls to update the status and to resolve any technical issues.
- Involve in the development of presentation layer and GUI framework using EXTJS and HTML.
- Implement strategies and tactics that produce faster turnaround on features using JIRA as scrum master.
- Direct performance tuning of linux storage stack of kernel parameters for maximum throughput for various workloads.
- Provide an enthusiastic junior developer the building blocks and mentoring she need to build a UI.
- Help to produce specifications for new UI features and develop the features to meet those specifications.
- Work with platform team to create a single API to be consume between desktop and mobile apps.
- Develop windows services with dynamically configure alerting times, base on the level of errors and tolerances.
Lead architect skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Lead Architects are proficient in Digital Transformation, Architecture, and Java. They’re also known for soft skills such as Organizational skills, Technical skills, and Visualization skills.
We break down the percentage of Lead Architects that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Digital Transformation, 13%
Involved in digital transformation project where bank is upgrading all its existing systems to best use the latest technolocy available.
- Architecture, 10%
Coordinate with application teams for Application architecture and design and deploy the correct right Technical architecture for Functional components.
- Java, 7%
Established policies, procedures and guidelines for structuring Java/J2EE applications for seamless development and application releases.
- Cloud, 6%
Provided architectural design, development, technology and process recommendations to effectively use company's Business intelligence and Cloud initiative.
- Infrastructure, 4%
Served as primary leadership force of IT development operations encompassing design and establishment of entire data infrastructure by 8 full-time consultants.
- Api Testing, 4%
Performed GUI Testing, Functional Testing, API Testing and Regression Testing.
Most lead architects use their skills in "digital transformation," "architecture," and "java" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential lead architect responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. A big part of what lead architects do relies on "analytical skills." You can see how essential it is to lead architect responsibilities because "developers must analyze users’ needs and then design software to meet those needs." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical lead architect tasks: "designed and implemented several java applets for remote database connectivity to handle data administration for the call center framework. "
Communication skills. Another crucial skill for a lead architect to carry out their responsibilities is "communication skills." A big part of what lead architects relies on this skill, since "developers must be able to give clear instructions to others working on a project." How this skill relates to lead architect duties can be seen in an example from a lead architect resume snippet: "defined the spring jms + ibm mq infrastructure to meet few of the asynchronous service communications. "
Creativity. While "creativity" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to lead architect responsibilities. Much of what a lead architect does relies on this skill, seeing as "developers are the creative minds behind new computer software." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of lead architects: "invented the lsx (lotus software extension) plug-in architecture on which notes objects are implemented. "
The three companies that hire the most lead architects are:
- Deloitte473 lead architects jobs
- Bausch + Lomb377 lead architects jobs
- General Dynamics Mission Systems
226 lead architects jobs
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Compare different lead architects
Lead architect vs. Developer
Developers are usually system or application developers in a company who work on specific projects related to networks or applications from conception to implementation. They attend planning sessions to ensure that the program is feasible. They are responsible for designing the system through coding and basic user interface design. They also work on troubleshooting any challenges that may be met at the testing stage of the program's development. They solve challenges and ensure that minimal problems will arise upon publishing the system or application. They also manage the evaluation to ensure that the program's goals are accomplished and that the end-users are satisfied with the results.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a lead architect are more likely to require skills like "architecture," "cloud," "infrastructure," and "c #." On the other hand, a job as a developer requires skills like "python," "git," "aws," and "html5." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Developers tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $104,286. In contrast, lead architects make the biggest average salary, $112,852, in the insurance industry.developers tend to reach lower levels of education than lead architects. In fact, developers are 8.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Lead architect vs. Senior programmer
A Senior Programmer develops operations solutions through guiding the development of program specifications and leading programmers. They develop, test, and implement IT solutions.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that lead architect responsibilities requires skills like "digital transformation," "architecture," "cloud," and "infrastructure." But a senior programmer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "macro," "sas," "database," and "adam."
Senior programmers may earn a higher salary than lead architects, but senior programmers earn the most pay in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $108,353. On the other hand, lead architects receive higher pay in the insurance industry, where they earn an average salary of $112,852.In general, senior programmers achieve lower levels of education than lead architects. They're 10.7% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for lead architects in the next 3-5 years?
Craig Tidwell Ph.D.
Professor/Program Manager, Seminole State College of Florida
Lead architect vs. Senior software engineer
Senior software engineers are experienced employees who would usually take the lead in projects related to software development. They are in charge of determining the needs of the organization, checking whether there are feasible solutions to challenges, and creating plans for the development of a software solution. They provide a sound analysis of data collected during the testing phase of the software and address any problems during the software development phase. Once the software has been developed, they then ensure that it works well and that it addresses the needs and expectations of the users.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, lead architects are more likely to have skills like "cloud," "infrastructure," "c #," and "windows." But a senior software engineer is more likely to have skills like "python," "database," "git," and "html css."
Senior software engineers make a very good living in the retail industry with an average annual salary of $128,740. On the other hand, lead architects are paid the highest salary in the insurance industry, with average annual pay of $112,852.senior software engineers typically earn similar educational levels compared to lead architects. Specifically, they're 4.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Lead architect vs. Software engineer lead
A Software Engineer Lead is focused on developing and testing software programs. They manage a team of software engineers that design enterprise software products and operating systems.
Types of lead architect
Updated January 8, 2025
