How To Become A Lead Field Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a lead field engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Alison Graettinger

A lead field engineer serves as an expert supervisor in industries where a lack of competence can spell catastrophe. Whether building bridges, designing space shuttles, or implementing high-powered laser technologies, the guidance of a lead field engineer is essential.

Engineering encompasses a huge array of specializations, so lead field engineers are--at some point in the process--found in virtually every industry. They oversee operations in chemical engineering, construction, telecommunications, robotics, and on.

This is typically a more hands-on role than the design-oriented engineering positions. Much of a lead field engineer's time is spent on-site, directly supervising teams and offering support to clients and technicians. In addition, lead field engineers may inspect and install equipment, conduct research, and perform various administrative functions.

Becoming a lead field engineer requires extensive knowledge in at least one of many engineering disciplines. Applicants generally hold a bachelor's degree in engineering along with several years' experience as a junior field engineer.

This long trek to the senior position of lead field engineer is ultimately compensated by an average annual salary of $90,893, with the top 10 percent of earners netting $127,00 per year!

What general advice would you give to a lead field engineer?

Dr. Alison Graettinger

Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Missouri - Kansas City

Some common challenges for field based positions is the amount of travel involved or working in extreme weather conditions.

ScoreLead Field EngineerUS Average

Salary

5.6

Avg. Salary $72,264

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.0

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 17.22%

Black or African American 4.13%

Hispanic or Latino 10.30%

Unknown 4.69%

White 63.36%

Gender

female 4.59%

male 95.41%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress level

8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a lead field engineer

Explore lead field engineer education requirements

Most common lead field engineer degrees

Bachelor's

59.8 %

Associate

24.1 %

Master's

5.6 %

Start to develop specific lead field engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Project Management	11.02%
Customer Satisfaction	9.37%
Logistics	7.59%
Technical Support	6.37%
Control Systems	6.29%

Complete relevant lead field engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead field 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 field engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead field engineer resumes.

Research lead field engineer duties and responsibilities

Promote from original position as a staff engineer managing a variety of geotechnical engineering activities to a field engineer inspector position.
Integrate GPS timing and telemetry systems for central control operating centers.
Implement all require software translations for the provisioning of new installations and upgrades.
Coordinate agents in CMS and allow supervisors rights to monitor users within each group.

Get lead field engineer experience

Generally, it takes 6-8 years to become a lead field engineer. The most common roles before becoming a lead field engineer include field engineer, field service technician team lead and project manager.

Prepare your lead field engineer resume

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

Build a professional lead field 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 field engineer resume.