Become A Lead Engineer
Where do you want to work?
Working As A Lead Engineer
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Getting Information
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Interacting With Computers
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Deal with People
$101,000
Average Salary
What Does A Lead Engineer Do
How To Become A Lead Engineer
Industrial engineers must have a bachelor’s degree. Employers also value experience, so cooperative education engineering programs at universities are also valuable.
EducationIndustrial engineers need a bachelor’s degree, typically in industrial engineering. However, many industrial engineers have degrees in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering technology, or general engineering. Students interested in studying industrial engineering should take high school courses in mathematics, such as algebra, trigonometry, and calculus; computer science; and sciences such as chemistry and physics.
Bachelor’s degree programs include lectures in classrooms and practice in laboratories. Courses include statistics, production systems planning, and manufacturing systems design, among others. Many colleges and universities offer cooperative education programs in which students gain practical experience while completing their education.
A few colleges and universities offer 5-year degree programs in industrial engineering that lead to a bachelor’s and master’s degree upon completion, and several more offer similar programs in mechanical engineering. A graduate degree allows an engineer to work as a professor at a college or university or to engage in research and development. Some 5-year or even 6-year cooperative education plans combine classroom study with practical work, permitting students to gain experience and to finance part of their education.
Programs in industrial engineering are accredited by ABET.
Important QualitiesCreativity. Industrial engineers use creativity and ingenuity to design new production processes in many kinds of settings in order to reduce the use of material resources, time, or labor while accomplishing the same goal.
Critical-thinking skills. Industrial engineers create new systems to solve problems related to waste and inefficiency. Solving these problems requires logic and reasoning to identify strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to the problems.
Listening skills. These engineers often operate in teams, but they also must solicit feedback from customers, vendors, and production staff. They must listen to customers and clients in order to fully grasp ideas and problems the first time.
Math skills. Industrial engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work.
Problem-solving skills. In designing facilities for manufacturing and processes for providing services, these engineers deal with several issues at once, from workers’ safety to quality assurance.
Speaking skills. Industrial engineers sometimes have to explain their instructions to production staff or technicians before they can make written instructions available. Being able to explain concepts clearly and quickly is crucial to preventing costly mistakes and loss of time.
Writing skills. Industrial engineers must prepare documentation for other engineers or scientists, or for future reference. The documentation must be coherent and explain their thinking clearly so that the others can understand the information.
Licenses, Certifications, and RegistrationsLicensure is not required for entry-level positions as an industrial engineer. A Professional Engineering (PE) license, which allows for higher levels of leadership and independence, can be acquired later in one’s career. Licensed engineers are called professional engineers (PEs). A PE can oversee the work of other engineers, sign off on projects, and provide services directly to the public. State licensure generally requires
- A degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program
- A passing score on the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam
- Relevant work experience, typically at least 4 years
- A passing score on the Professional Engineering (PE) exam
The initial FE exam can be taken after one earns a bachelor’s degree. Engineers who pass this exam are commonly called engineers in training (EITs) or engineer interns (EIs). After meeting work experience requirements, EITs and EIs can take the second exam, called the Principles and Practice of Engineering.
Several states require engineers to take continuing education in order to keep their licenses. Most states recognize licenses from other states, as long as the other state’s licensing requirements meet or exceed their own licensing requirements.
AdvancementBeginning industrial engineers usually work under the supervision of experienced engineers. In large companies, new engineers also may receive formal training in classes or seminars. As beginning engineers gain knowledge and experience, they move on to more difficult projects with greater independence to develop designs, solve problems, and make decisions.
Eventually, industrial engineers may advance to become technical specialists, such as quality engineers or facility planners. In that role, they supervise a team of engineers and technicians. Obtaining a master’s degree facilitates such specialization and thus advancement.
Many industrial engineers move into management positions because the work they do is closely related to the work of managers. For more information, see the profile on architectural and engineering managers.
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Lead Engineer jobs
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Lead Engineer Career Paths
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Senior Principal Engineer 4.9 years
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Principal Engineer 4.7 years
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Senior Engineer 4.3 years
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Staff Engineer 4.3 years
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Senior Engineering Team Leader 4.2 years
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Engineering Technician Lead 4.2 years
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Senior Systems Software Engineer 4.2 years
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Senior Software Development Engineer 4.0 years
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Lead Engineer And Project Manager 3.9 years
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Software Engineer/Technical Lead 3.9 years
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Lead Systems Engineer 3.7 years
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Lead Application Engineer 3.7 years
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Project Lead Engineer 3.6 years
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Management Engineer 3.6 years
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Software Engineer-Team Lead 3.6 years
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Software Engineer Lead 3.4 years
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Team Lead Engineer 3.4 years
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Senior Software Engineer Lead 3.4 years
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Service Engineer 3.4 years
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Systems Integration Lead 3.3 years
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Systems Integration Engineer 3.3 years
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Application Engineer 3.1 years
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Engineering Associate 3.1 years
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Consulting Engineer 3.0 years
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Lead Engineer 3.0 years
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Integration Engineer 2.5 years
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Junior Engineer 2.1 years
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Engineer 12.3%
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Software Engineer 11.2%
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Senior Engineer 9.4%
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Project Engineer 8.5%
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Design Engineer 7.5%
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Systems Engineer 6.1%
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Project Manager 4.9%
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Mechanical Engineer 3.8%
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Consultant 3.1%
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Research Assistant 2.9%
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Test Engineer 2.5%
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Team Leader 2.5%
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Software Developer 2.4%
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Engineering Manager 2.4%
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Field Engineer 2.3%
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Electrical Engineer 2.3%
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Project Manager 9.8%
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Senior Engineer 8.9%
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Engineer 8.3%
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Project Engineer 6.1%
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Engineering Manager 5.9%
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Consultant 5.7%
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Chief Engineer 5.6%
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Systems Engineer 5.1%
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Software Engineer 4.4%
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Program Manager 4.4%
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Principal Engineer 3.8%
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Design Engineer 3.7%
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Manager 3.7%
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Lead Technician 3.4%
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Project Leader 3.1%
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Team Leader 3.0%
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Mechanical Engineer 2.2%
Average Length of Employment
Top Careers Before Lead Engineer
Top Careers After Lead Engineer
Lead Engineer Demographics
Gender
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Male
86.2% -
Female
10.3% -
Unknown
3.5%
Ethnicity
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White
69.1% -
Asian
17.3% -
Hispanic or Latino
9.0% -
Unknown
3.8% -
Black or African American
0.9%
Languages Spoken
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Spanish
28.0% -
French
10.9% -
Carrier
9.3% -
Chinese
6.8% -
German
6.8% -
Mandarin
6.4% -
Arabic
5.5% -
Portuguese
4.2% -
Italian
3.9% -
Hindi
3.9% -
Russian
3.2% -
Japanese
1.9% -
Persian
1.6% -
Korean
1.3% -
Dakota
1.3% -
Polish
1.3% -
Cantonese
1.0% -
Tamil
1.0% -
Hebrew
1.0% -
Kannada
1.0%
Lead Engineer
Unfortunately we don’t have enough data for this section.
Lead Engineer Education
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University of Phoenix
8.5% -
Georgia Institute of Technology -
7.0% -
Purdue University
6.9% -
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
5.9% -
Pennsylvania State University
5.7% -
Texas A&M University
5.7% -
Illinois Institute of Technology
5.5% -
University of Texas at Austin
5.4% -
University of Houston
5.0% -
Michigan State University
4.6% -
Johns Hopkins University
4.6% -
More Tech Institute
4.4% -
Northeastern University
4.3% -
Wayne State University
4.2% -
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
3.9% -
University of Washington
3.8% -
Wichita State University
3.8% -
Arizona State University
3.6% -
University of Southern California
3.6% -
Villanova University
3.6% -
Mechanical Engineering 18.9%
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Electrical Engineering 18.1%
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Computer Science 12.2%
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Business 11.3%
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Computer Engineering 4.7%
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Engineering 4.4%
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Civil Engineering 3.3%
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Management 2.5%
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Chemical Engineering 2.4%
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Project Management 1.7%
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Finance 1.6%
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Bachelors
42.4% -
Masters
31.2% -
Other
13.7% -
Associate
4.5% -
Doctorate
3.9% -
Certificate
2.9% -
Diploma
1.3% -
License
0.1%
Schools
Majors
Degrees
Lead Engineer
Unfortunately we don’t have enough data for this section.
Real Lead Engineer Salaries
Job Title
|
Company
|
Location
|
Start Date
|
Salary
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Engineer (Mobile) | Castlight Health, Inc. | San Francisco, CA | Feb 05, 2016 | $190,000 |
| Lead Front-End Engineer | Medallia, Inc. | Palo Alto, CA | May 29, 2015 | $185,000 |
| Engineering Lead | Zillow, Inc. | San Francisco, CA | Aug 22, 2016 | $180,500 - $215,000 |
| Lead Rendering Engineer | Activision Publishing Inc. | Los Angeles, CA | Oct 31, 2016 | $180,000 |
| Pipe Stress Lead Engineer | Advantage Technical Resourcing, Inc. | Houston, TX | Jan 21, 2016 | $176,000 |
| Lead Engineer, Data Analytics | Drivescale, Inc. | Sunnyvale, CA | Aug 19, 2015 | $175,000 - $180,000 |
| Engineering Lead | Square Inc. | San Francisco, CA | Jul 14, 2016 | $173,056 |
| Mechanical Discipline Lead Engineer | Kelly Services, Inc. | Sugar Land, TX | Mar 10, 2016 | $171,134 |
| Executive Producer/Lead Engineer | Rumble Entertainment, Inc. | San Mateo, CA | Jan 05, 2016 | $170,000 |
| Identity and Access Management Lead Engineer | American International Group, Inc. | Jersey City, NJ | Jun 15, 2015 | $170,000 |
| Lead Engineer | Robert Bosch LLC | Palo Alto, CA | Apr 20, 2016 | $166,223 |
| Engineering Lead | Relayrides, Inc. | San Francisco, CA | Mar 30, 2015 | $165,000 |
| Technical Lead Engineer | Viasat, Inc. | San Jose, CA | Mar 25, 2016 | $165,000 - $170,000 |
| Lead Engineer-Performance & Data | Magic Leap, Inc. | Mountain View, CA | Oct 11, 2015 | $165,000 |
| Lead Engineer | Eaton | Eden Prairie, MN | Jan 09, 2015 | $77,730 - $125,004 |
| Lead Engineer | Eaton | Eden Prairie, MN | Sep 01, 2015 | $77,730 - $90,000 |
| Lead Engineer | Wipro Limited | San Jose, CA | Jun 18, 2015 | $77,564 |
| Lead Engineer | Wipro Limited | Milpitas, CA | Jun 18, 2015 | $77,564 |
| Lead Engineer | Wipro Limited | Morrisville, NC | Dec 25, 2015 | $71,094 |
| Lead Engineer | Wipro Limited | Mooresville, NC | Nov 02, 2016 | $71,094 |
| Lead Engineer | Wipro Limited | Morrisville, NC | Aug 10, 2015 | $71,094 |
| Lead Engineer | Wipro Limited | Cary, NC | Jan 06, 2016 | $71,094 |
| Lead Engineer | Wipro Limited | Cary, NC | Jun 20, 2016 | $71,094 |
| Lead Engineer | Wipro Limited | Cary, NC | Apr 25, 2016 | $71,094 |
| Lead Engineer | Wipro Limited | Raleigh, NC | Apr 19, 2016 | $71,094 |
| Lead Engineer | Wipro Limited | Cary, NC | Jun 05, 2016 | $71,094 |
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Top Skills for A Lead Engineer
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Top Lead Engineer Skills
- Test Procedures
- Hardware
- Safety
- Developed manual test procedures and automated test scripts align with product requirements.
- Provide technical training on software and hardware for customers.
- Oversee night time shift crew for safety and property handle job assignment.
- Documented existing Windows 2000 Active Directory environment for a 2500+ user environment.
- Project Manager Stone & Webster Engineering Corp.
Top Lead Engineer Employers
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