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The differences between lead hardware engineers and senior electrical engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a lead hardware engineer and a senior electrical engineer. Additionally, a lead hardware engineer has an average salary of $121,252, which is higher than the $109,315 average annual salary of a senior electrical engineer.
The top three skills for a lead hardware engineer include RF, system design and FPGA. The most important skills for a senior electrical engineer are control systems, electrical equipment, and electrical systems.
| Lead Hardware Engineer | Senior Electrical Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $121,252 | $109,315 |
| Hourly rate | $58.29 | $52.56 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 39,713 | 82,639 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A lead hardware engineer partners with the mechanical engineering team and product team to design and define brand new hardware products. They lead the development of connectors, firmware protocols, cards, electric chargers, controllers, and chips. Besides supervising electrical and hardware engineers, lead hardware engineers also work hand-in-hand with business analysts, software engineers, and project managers. Other duties performed by lead hardware engineers include component sourcing and performing technical specification and technical requirements analysis. Also, they provide solutions for complicated material handling and paper challenges.
A senior electrical engineer is an individual who leads other engineers to review electrical design plans and analyze existing electrical systems. Senior electrical engineers must establish relationships with clients, vendors, and suppliers to ensure that projects are completed according to specifications. They create project budgets and produce working schedules and company regulations to make sure that a safe and positive working environment is achieved. Senior electrical engineers must be passionate about engineering development by attending electrical conferences and events.
Lead hardware engineers and senior electrical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Hardware Engineer | Senior Electrical Engineer | |
| Average salary | $121,252 | $109,315 |
| Salary range | Between $89,000 And $163,000 | Between $82,000 And $144,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead hardware engineer and a senior electrical engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Hardware Engineer | Senior Electrical Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between lead hardware engineers' and senior electrical engineers' demographics:
| Lead Hardware Engineer | Senior Electrical Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.8% Female, 7.2% | Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 29.5% White, 49.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 15.5% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 6% |