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The differences between performance test leads and senior test engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a performance test lead and a senior test engineer. Additionally, a performance test lead has an average salary of $96,573, which is higher than the $82,775 average annual salary of a senior test engineer.
The top three skills for a performance test lead include java, provide management and test scenarios. The most important skills for a senior test engineer are test cases, python, and java.
| Performance Test Lead | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $96,573 | $82,775 |
| Hourly rate | $46.43 | $39.80 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 42,925 | 245,814 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Performance test lead positions require a high school diploma or GED and generally pay around $79K per year. This position calls on individuals who have a clear understanding of business needs and possessing skills in test development, design, and data management. Performance test leads oversee all test activity for given projects, partner with stakeholders to ensure effective planning and definition of requirements, and analyze requirements.
A senior test engineer is an individual who is responsible for developing and implementing cost-effective methods of testing and troubleshooting computer systems and equipment. Senior test engineers must assist junior engineers in developing test plans and conducting testing activities on complex systems to meet program requirements. They aid in the areas of predictability, manufacturing processing, and improvement in the equipment and process. Senior test engineers must also develop proposal inputs and reviews documents generated by junior engineers.
Performance test leads and senior test engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Performance Test Lead | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Average salary | $96,573 | $82,775 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $124,000 | Between $63,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a performance test lead and a senior test engineer in terms of educational background:
| Performance Test Lead | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between performance test leads' and senior test engineers' demographics:
| Performance Test Lead | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.5% Female, 32.5% | Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |