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The differences between lead technicians and senior technician specialists 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 technician, becoming a senior technician specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior technician specialist has an average salary of $96,650, which is higher than the $90,615 average annual salary of a lead technician.
The top three skills for a lead technician include java, architecture and digital transformation. The most important skills for a senior technician specialist are patients, customer service, and project management.
| Lead Technician | Senior Technician Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $90,615 | $96,650 |
| Hourly rate | $43.56 | $46.47 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 250,590 | 56,304 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Lead technicians are technicians who oversee the technical needs of a specific project or department. They are usually tenured employees, and their familiarity with the company's technical and technological processes, software, and hardware would be a great advantage in succeeding in their role. Lead technicians are responsible for installing, updating, and maintaining various software and hardware components in the office. They often manage a group of technicians, and they ensure that the group they manage is properly trained and well-versed on the processes of the company. Lead technicians are expected to have strong analytical skills and decision-making skills.
Senior technician specialists are technicians in the office who specialize in a specific activity or task. They are more tenured than entry-level employees and, at times, given bigger responsibilities than their junior counterparts. They may even be asked to lead specific projects. Senior technician specialists are usually involved in the technical or technological needs of the organization. As such, they should be familiar with the different equipment, fixtures, and infrastructure in the office. They are expected to perform installations, repairs, updates, and maintenance. Senior technician specialists should also be able to provide support to office employees on technical and technological aspects.
Lead technicians and senior technician specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Technician | Senior Technician Specialist | |
| Average salary | $90,615 | $96,650 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $121,000 | Between $68,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Walt Disney Company |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead technician and a senior technician specialist in terms of educational background:
| Lead Technician | Senior Technician Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between lead technicians' and senior technician specialists' demographics:
| Lead Technician | Senior Technician Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% | Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 15.1% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 5.9% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 12% |