What is a lead software developer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Frank McCown Ph.D.,

Kevin Treu Ph.D.

A lead software developer oversees a team of software developers to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget. They are responsible for designing, developing, and testing software applications, as well as providing technical guidance and support to their team. A lead software developer also collaborates with other departments to identify project requirements and ensure that software solutions align with business objectives. They may also be responsible for mentoring team members.

What general advice would you give to a lead software developer?

Frank McCown Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Harding University

The market is stable for software developers, despite the economic challenges created by the pandemic. Before accepting a job offer, talk to the company's employees through online meetings or email, and see what they think of the company. Do they enjoy their work? Are there opportunities to learn new technologies? How does the company treat their employees? There's a good chance you will be working remotely in your first job, so you will need to exercise a lot of self-discipline, be punctual for online meetings, do the work you've been assigned, and know when to ask questions when you get stuck. Expect a steeper-than-normal learning curve if you are working remotely instead of in an office.

ScoreLead Software DeveloperUS Average

Salary

8.0

Avg. Salary $115,072

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.0

Growth rate 21%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 30.02%

Black or African American 4.33%

Hispanic or Latino 8.06%

Unknown 4.77%

White 52.65%

Gender

female 13.53%

male 86.47%

Age - 38

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 - 38

Stress level

4.0

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a lead software developer?

Pros

Good salary and benefits
Opportunities for career advancement
Exposure to cutting-edge technology
Flexibility in work schedule and location
Opportunity to attend industry events and conferences

Cons

High level of stress and pressure
Long hours and tight deadlines
The need to continually adapt to new technologies
Often required to work on multiple projects simultaneously
Lack of control over every aspect of the project

Key steps to become a lead software developer

Explore lead software developer education requirements

Most common lead software developer degrees

Bachelor's

68.2 %

Master's

21.1 %

Associate

5.3 %

Start to develop specific lead software developer skills

Skills	Percentages
Java	11.16%
Architecture	5.79%
Application Development	4.71%
Software Development	4.68%
API	4.20%

Complete relevant lead software developer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead software developers 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 software developer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead software developer resumes.

Research lead software developer duties and responsibilities

Spring MVC are used to manage navigation.
Manage technical infrastructure including but not limit to AWS images and instances, deployment procedures and tools, and monitoring.
Used and written maven scripts to manage dependencies and to build and deploy the application locally and in DEV environments.
Design rich user interface using ASP.NET, HTML and CSS.

Get lead software developer experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a lead software developer. The most common roles before becoming a lead software developer include software developer, senior software engineer team lead and software engineer.

Prepare your lead software developer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lead software developer resume.

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