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The differences between lead network engineers and network managers 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 network engineer and a network manager. Additionally, a lead network engineer has an average salary of $110,170, which is higher than the $97,578 average annual salary of a network manager.
The top three skills for a lead network engineer include firewall, switches and lan wan. The most important skills for a network manager are customer service, fault management, and network infrastructure.
| Lead Network Engineer | Network Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $110,170 | $97,578 |
| Hourly rate | $52.97 | $46.91 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 58,355 | 36,831 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Lead Network Engineer ensures network performance through supervising the building of net configurations and connections. They are responsible for securing network systems.
A network manager is responsible for monitoring the efficient network connection of the company's technology systems, analyzing system designs, and overseeing installation processes and programs. Network managers inspect the efficiency of existing network management systems, upgrading network data to boost optimal performance and communication transportation. A network manager must have excellent knowledge of technology disciplines and should always be updated with the recent technology trends, guiding the network staff on their tasks and immediately resolving system defects and discrepancies.
Lead network engineers and network managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Network Engineer | Network Manager | |
| Average salary | $110,170 | $97,578 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $142,000 | Between $71,000 And $132,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead network engineer and a network manager in terms of educational background:
| Lead Network Engineer | Network Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between lead network engineers' and network managers' demographics:
| Lead Network Engineer | Network Manager | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1% | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 11.3% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.7% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |