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The differences between lead systems engineers and chief engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a lead systems engineer, becoming a chief engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a lead systems engineer has an average salary of $119,705, which is higher than the $108,050 average annual salary of a chief engineer.
The top three skills for a lead systems engineer include systems engineering, architecture and infrastructure. The most important skills for a chief engineer are HVAC, plumbing, and customer service.
| Lead Systems Engineer | Chief Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $119,705 | $108,050 |
| Hourly rate | $57.55 | $51.95 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 186,392 | 88,473 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
A lead systems engineer is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the systems infrastructure and improving the stability of the operating systems to support business operations. Lead systems engineers install and upgrade software applications and ensure that the technical strategies meet the quality standards and business requirements. They also enhance the performance of the existing systems, configuring features for optimization. A lead systems engineer must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in supporting the end-users with technical failures and identifying accurate resolutions.
A chief engineer is responsible for monitoring the engineering department's overall operations, ensuring performance efficiency, and everyone's strict compliance with the safety standards and regulatory procedures. Chief engineers manage the distribution of the tasks to the team, communicate with the clients and management for instructions and specifications, monitor expenses and forecast sales reports, analyze and approve designs, negotiate contracts, and process disputes. A chief engineer must have excellent knowledge of the engineering disciplines and exemplary leadership skills to handle the team's performance towards the company's objectives.
Lead systems engineers and chief engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Systems Engineer | Chief Engineer | |
| Average salary | $119,705 | $108,050 |
| Salary range | Between $90,000 And $158,000 | Between $65,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | BGC Partners |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a lead systems engineer and a chief engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Systems Engineer | Chief Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between lead systems engineers' and chief engineers' demographics:
| Lead Systems Engineer | Chief Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% | Male, 96.2% Female, 3.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 12.5% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 10.2% White, 71.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |