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The differences between lead systems engineers and systems support 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 systems engineer and a systems support engineer. Additionally, a lead systems engineer has an average salary of $119,705, which is higher than the $82,561 average annual salary of a systems support engineer.
The top three skills for a lead systems engineer include systems engineering, architecture and infrastructure. The most important skills for a systems support engineer are linux, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Lead Systems Engineer | Systems Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $119,705 | $82,561 |
| Hourly rate | $57.55 | $39.69 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 186,392 | 182,434 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
Systems support engineers are information technology professionals who are responsible for building and maintaining the IT infrastructure of an organization. They are required to provide network administration and technical support to identify complex problem issues and come up with solutions to solve them. They must assist the system support engineers in accomplishing any projects they are working with. They must troubleshoot servers, personal computers, and peripheral equipment while liaising with their customers. They must also create and maintain user accounts and implement group policy management through an active directory.
Lead systems engineers and systems support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Systems Engineer | Systems Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $119,705 | $82,561 |
| Salary range | Between $90,000 And $158,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Novato, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Finance |
There are a few differences between a lead systems engineer and a systems support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Systems Engineer | Systems Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between lead systems engineers' and systems support engineers' demographics:
| Lead Systems Engineer | Systems Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% | Male, 89.5% Female, 10.5% |
| 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, 8.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 11.5% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |