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The differences between lead engineers and software engineers lead 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 software engineer lead takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a software engineer lead has an average salary of $125,565, 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 software engineer lead are java, python, and software development.
| Lead Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $84,927 | $125,565 |
| Hourly rate | $40.83 | $60.37 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 301,777 | 342,462 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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 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.
Lead engineers and software engineers lead have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Average salary | $84,927 | $125,565 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $120,000 | Between $93,000 And $168,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a lead engineer and a software engineer lead in terms of educational background:
| Lead Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between lead engineers' and software engineers lead' demographics:
| Lead Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% |
| 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, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 8% |