What does a lead support engineer do?
Lead support engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real lead support engineer resumes:
- Manage the setup of virtual thin clients on the SIPR network using VMware and script templates.
- Manage local and remote resources to facilitate accomplishment of team goals and minimize total SLA violation.
- Perform database queries to gather metric information, troubleshoot database issues, review SQL logs and manage database sizes as required.
- Lead technical operations for an innovative workforce virtualization movement, including initial design and improvement of technical systems and processes.
- Perform basic maintenance on UNIX boxes.
- Evaluate SQL and Java code in order to resolve software defects.
- Test and Q/A mediation and billing software in Java GUI base system.
- Utilize various web technologies and Linux utilities to identify and resolve SSO issues.
- Utilize extensive Linux and MySQL skills to support and configure EM7 as needed.
- Attend UNIX system administration course, & enhance PERL & shell scripting knowledge.
- Compose documentation for team members detailing access to customer's environments and how to troubleshoot known issues.
- Create custom backup and recovery for internally develop applications used by other groups using Powershell scripting.
- Design infrastructure monitoring tools that incorporate both in-house and third-party tools to best maintain server and software stability.
- Assist TAC management to ensure the work team meet standards and service level agreements.
- Promote and solicit ideas within TAC team (s) and work effectively to provide guidance to other members.
Lead support engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Lead Support Engineers are proficient in Technical Support, Troubleshoot, and Java. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Listening skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Lead Support Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Technical Support, 10%
Assisted management with technical evaluation and training of Service Engineers and Technical Support and made recommendations regarding formal technical training requirements.
- Troubleshoot, 9%
Work with third party vendors in conjunction with customer base to troubleshoot system errors.
- Java, 8%
Coded Application enhancements and delivered bug fixes using Java, J2EE and C++.
- Lead Support, 7%
Served as Lead Support Engineer for Office of the Secretary of Defense Chief Information Office (OSD-CIO).
- Linux, 5%
Served as the editor for two monthly technical newsletters within HP (one for HPUX and one for Linux).
- Customer Service, 4%
Earned solid reputation for resolving complex issues and providing Exceptional customer service.
"technical support," "troubleshoot," and "java" are among the most common skills that lead support engineers use at work. You can find even more lead support engineer responsibilities below, including:
Customer-service skills. The most essential soft skill for a lead support engineer to carry out their responsibilities is customer-service skills. This skill is important for the role because "computer support specialists must be patient and sympathetic." Additionally, a lead support engineer resume shows how their duties depend on customer-service skills: "managed customer support incidents using all available resources to drive to resolution. "
Listening skills. Many lead support engineer duties rely on listening skills. "support workers must be able to understand the problems that their customers are describing and know when to ask questions to clarify the situation.," so a lead support engineer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways lead support engineer responsibilities rely on listening skills: "communicated with customers to assess customer satisfaction levels with services and support. "
Speaking skills. lead support engineers are also known for speaking skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to lead support engineer responsibilities, because "support workers must describe the solutions to computer problems in a way that a nontechnical person can understand." A lead support engineer resume example shows how speaking skills is used in the workplace: "presented technical training to support personnel & wrote accompanying documentation. "
Writing skills. For certain lead support engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "writing skills." The day-to-day duties of a lead support engineer rely on this skill, as "strong writing skills are useful for preparing instructions and email responses for employees and customers, as well as for real-time web chat interactions." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what lead support engineers do: "used sql server 2008 for writing select, insert and update stored procedures. "
Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for a lead support engineer to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what lead support engineers relies on this skill, since "support workers must identify both simple and complex computer problems, analyze them, and solve them." How this skill relates to lead support engineer duties can be seen in an example from a lead support engineer resume snippet: "managed customer support calls and resolved escalated issues. "
The three companies that hire the most lead support engineers are:
- Wells Fargo16 lead support engineers jobs
- Staples7 lead support engineers jobs
- Citi4 lead support engineers jobs
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Lead support engineer vs. Senior support specialist
A senior support specialist is in charge of providing technical support to clients, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. They typically communicate with clients through calls or correspondence where they address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. They may also assist clients in troubleshooting, provide step by step instructions, or recommend solutions. Furthermore, as a senior support specialist, it is essential to lead and serve as a role model for other support specialists while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, lead support engineer responsibilities require skills like "java," "taking care," "api," and "technical documentation." Meanwhile a typical senior support specialist has skills in areas such as "excellent interpersonal," "phone calls," "data entry," and "computer system." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Senior support specialists really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $83,262. Comparatively, lead support engineers tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $110,450.On average, senior support specialists reach lower levels of education than lead support engineers. Senior support specialists are 5.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Lead support engineer vs. Support analyst
The role of support analysts is to resolve problems with hardware, computer programs, and peripherals. They may focus on a particular aspect of the information technology (IT) department or give technical support to end-users. They mainly detect issues with IT equipment and software and devise solutions to resolve these issues. Also, they are responsible for answering queries from users, preparing service records, and handling escalations. Support analysts also support the company's IT operations and best practices by creating and distributing relevant IT documents.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that lead support engineer responsibilities requires skills like "taking care," "api," "technical documentation," and "powershell." But a support analyst might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "application support," "patients," "issue resolution," and "excellent interpersonal."
On average, support analysts earn a lower salary than lead support engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, support analysts earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $93,871. Whereas lead support engineers have higher pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $110,450.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Support analysts tend to reach similar levels of education than lead support engineers. In fact, they're 4.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for lead support engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Dean, Professor, New York Institute of Technology
-We will be witnessing a more widespread commercial deployment of 5G in 2020. With the implementation of the Standalone 5G devices based on the 3gpp release 16, we should be seeing the more robust mobile broadband deployment of 5G, wider availability of 5G smartphones, and a push towards an all 5G Network in select urban areas around the world.
-Significant growth in AI-based technologies, from face recognition and voice recognition to business intelligence and market predictions. As machines and deep learning algorithms get integrated into many applications, many industries will undergo substantial changes. AI systems will continue to interact with our phones; cars will interpret and analyze their surroundings and intelligently drive themselves. Online vendors will monitor our browsing habits, and Google decides what kind of search results to give us, based on who it thinks we are.
Lead support engineer vs. Systems support
A systems support agent is responsible for resolving system applications and network issues, performing technical configuration, and upgrading systems infrastructure. A systems support representative conducts regular maintenance and diagnostic tests on the computer applications to ensure its optimal performance and efficiency to support business operations and avoid delays in deliverables. They also assist the technology team in designing backup systems and improve existing networks according to business requirements and specifications. They write resolution reports for reference to prevent the reoccurrence of system malfunction and inconsistencies.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a lead support engineer is likely to be skilled in "taking care," "lead support," "api," and "technical documentation," while a typical systems support is skilled in "provides technical support," "end user support," "system support," and "pc support."
Systems supports make a very good living in the professional industry with an average annual salary of $72,760. On the other hand, lead support engineers are paid the highest salary in the manufacturing industry, with average annual pay of $110,450.Most systems supports achieve a lower degree level compared to lead support engineers. For example, they're 5.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Lead support engineer vs. Systems engineer
Systems engineers are responsible for creating and overseeing systems related to the overall operations of the organization. They are in charge of assessing the organization's needs in terms of systems and creating plans to address these needs. These systems are usually related to the production or manufacturing of company products. Systems engineers create end-to-end processes that ensure efficiency and effectiveness. They make sure that the processes they put in place adhere to safety and security policies and guidelines. They also do routine checks and continuously find ways to further improve production and other systems.
Types of lead support engineer
Updated January 8, 2025











