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The differences between lead engineers and lead systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a lead engineer, becoming a lead systems engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a lead systems engineer has an average salary of $119,705, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for a lead engineer include java, python and architecture. The most important skills for a lead systems engineer are systems engineering, architecture, and infrastructure.
| Lead Engineer | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,927 | $119,705 |
| Hourly rate | $40.83 | $57.55 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 301,777 | 186,392 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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.
A lead systems engineer is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the systems infrastructure and improving the stability of the operating systems to support business operations. Lead systems engineers install and upgrade software applications and ensure that the technical strategies meet the quality standards and business requirements. They also enhance the performance of the existing systems, configuring features for optimization. A lead systems engineer must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in supporting the end-users with technical failures and identifying accurate resolutions.
Lead engineers and lead systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Engineer | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $84,927 | $119,705 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $120,000 | Between $90,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a lead engineer and a lead systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Engineer | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between lead engineers' and lead systems engineers' demographics:
| Lead Engineer | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 12.5% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 9% |