What is a lead engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Andrea Welker Ph.D.,

John Russo

A lead engineer manages a team of engineers and oversees their work on complex projects. They plan, organize, and direct the engineering work, ensuring on-time completion and quality outcomes. They collaborate with other departments and stakeholders to meet project objectives. In addition, they work to maintain the budget throughout the entire process. A lead engineer also mentors and trains junior engineers, providing them with guidance to help them improve their skills and careers.

What general advice would you give to a lead engineer?

Andrea Welker Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University

Be open to new experiences. Find a good mentor. Become a valued employee. Always remember that you are designing something for someone.

ScoreLead EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.6

Avg. Salary $84,927

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.11%

Asian 16.77%

Black or African American 3.07%

Hispanic or Latino 7.82%

Unknown 4.51%

White 67.72%

Gender

female 9.22%

male 90.78%

Age - 39

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 - 39

Stress level

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a lead engineer?

Pros

Higher salary and benefits than entry-level positions
Greater autonomy in designing and implementing solutions
Exposure to a variety of technical challenges and projects
Ability to work on high-profile or large-scale projects with significant impact
Potential to lead or manage multiple projects simultaneously

Cons

Increased responsibility and workload, leading to longer hours and higher stress levels
Risk of burnout due to heavy workload and high expectations
Potential for scope creep or project failures that could negatively impact career development
Limited opportunities for hands-on technical work as managerial responsibilities increase
Potential for job instability due to shifts in company priorities or market conditions

Key steps to become a lead engineer

Explore lead engineer education requirements

Most common lead engineer degrees

Bachelor's

66.1 %

Master's

17.9 %

Associate

8.4 %

Start to develop specific lead engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Java	12.35%
Python	7.61%
Architecture	6.80%
C++	4.19%
JavaScript	3.88%

Complete relevant lead engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead engineers 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 engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead engineer resumes.

Research lead engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage, train, and supervise other android developers.
Manage final inspection and performance testing of API centrifugal pumps and steam turbines.
Design and manage the build of infrastructure to support the corporate CRM applications used throughout the enterprise.
Provide consultation to the ISO team in achieving certification, and enable company to win many more deals as a result.

Get lead engineer experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a lead engineer. The most common roles before becoming a lead engineer include engineer, software engineer team lead and senior software engineer.

Prepare your lead engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lead engineer 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 engineer 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 engineer resume templates

Build a professional lead engineer 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 engineer resume.

Apply for lead engineer jobs

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

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

How do lead engineers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Lead engineer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

The Different employees i work with and what all i learn from them

Cons

very little

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Pros

Troubleshooting and commissioning

Cons

Undone job, when we're unable to discover certain fault on time.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019

Cons

HR compliance and accounting auditing , quarterly budgeting rather than Annual as previously accepted. Wallstreet insistence on more frequent projections

Pros

Challenge, satisfaction of problem resolution and working with team

What is a lead engineer and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a lead engineer?

What are the pros and cons of being a lead engineer?

Lead engineer career paths

Key steps to become a lead engineer

Explore lead engineer education requirements

Most common lead engineer degrees

Start to develop specific lead engineer skills

Complete relevant lead engineer training and internships

Research lead engineer duties and responsibilities

Get lead engineer experience

Prepare your lead engineer resume

Choose from 10+ customizable lead engineer resume templates

Apply for lead engineer jobs

How did you land your first lead engineer job

Average lead engineer salary

How do lead engineers rate their job?

Lead engineer reviews

Lead engineer jobs by state