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

What is a lead hardware engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Fred Garber Ph.D.

If you already have the skills of a regular hardware engineer but also have an impeccable set of leadership skills, then it may be time to take your career higher and apply for a lead hardware engineer role. Not only are you stepping over another rung in the career ladder, but you may also be exchanging your menial everyday tasks for responsibilities that are more crucial--but are also ten times more exciting.

As the head of the team, a lead hardware engineer is the one overseeing every step of the engineering process--right from the very start of the design process down to the last dregs of the testing phase. They are leaders, and are thus responsible for their people, meaning their tasks can also include hiring, training, and coaching engineers.

The requirements for this role are a bachelor's or master's in engineering, and more importantly, at least two to three years of relevant work experience. After promotion, a lead hardware engineer can expect a yearly income of $108,615 on average.

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

Fred Garber Ph.D.

Professor, Electrical Engineering, Wright State University

I think the primary question, in the minds of those who are yet to graduate or are still searching, is in regard to the strength of the technical job market, especially the local job market. But you are in a position to definitively answer that question.

In you article, I would ask that you address the following:
Number of employers looking to fill and number of job offerings in the region (by engineering and computer science major) compared to last year and to the previous five years.

Any noticeable differences in job descriptions Zippia is receiving relative to work environment, benefits, starting salaries, etc.

Many of our soon-to-graduate students would be very interested in these quantitative and qualitative comparisons. Additionally, vast numbers of potential students would benefit from such information to guide their career choices.

ScoreLead Hardware EngineerUS Average

Salary

8.2

Avg. Salary $121,252

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.8

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 29.54%

Black or African American 7.61%

Hispanic or Latino 9.66%

Unknown 2.86%

White 49.89%

Gender

female 7.20%

male 92.80%

Age - 43

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 - 43

Stress level

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a lead hardware engineer

Explore lead hardware engineer education requirements

Most common lead hardware engineer degrees

Bachelor's

64.1 %

Master's

17.4 %

Associate

12.4 %

Start to develop specific lead hardware engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
RF	8.17%
System Design	7.03%
FPGA	5.69%
Analog	5.02%
Product Development	4.88%

Complete relevant lead hardware engineer training and internships

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

Research lead hardware engineer duties and responsibilities

Generate synthesis reports and automate simulation using Perl scripts.
Create shell scripts to do batch testing and debug FPGA design.
Participate in digital signal processing (FPGA) hardware design and integration.
Develop test procedures and methodologies to test bases station and handheld RF hardware.

Get lead hardware engineer experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a lead hardware engineer. The most common roles before becoming a lead hardware engineer include hardware engineer, senior hardware engineer team lead and design engineer.

Prepare your lead hardware engineer resume

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

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