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Scientific technical writer vs technical writer lead

The differences between scientific technical writers and technical writer leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a scientific technical writer and a technical writer lead. Additionally, a scientific technical writer has an average salary of $78,877, which is higher than the $66,624 average annual salary of a technical writer lead.

The top three skills for a scientific technical writer include sops, subject matter experts and FDA. The most important skills for a technical writer lead are technical documentation, subject matter experts, and maintenance procedures.

Scientific technical writer vs technical writer lead overview

Scientific Technical WriterTechnical Writer Lead
Yearly salary$78,877$66,624
Hourly rate$37.92$32.03
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs79,68075,697
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4646
Years of experience22

Scientific technical writer vs technical writer lead salary

Scientific technical writers and technical writer leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

Scientific Technical WriterTechnical Writer Lead
Average salary$78,877$66,624
Salary rangeBetween $57,000 And $109,000Between $52,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between scientific technical writer and technical writer lead education

There are a few differences between a scientific technical writer and a technical writer lead in terms of educational background:

Scientific Technical WriterTechnical Writer Lead
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorBiologyEnglish
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Houston

Scientific technical writer vs technical writer lead demographics

Here are the differences between scientific technical writers' and technical writer leads' demographics:

Scientific Technical WriterTechnical Writer Lead
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 35.4% Female, 64.6%Male, 53.5% Female, 46.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between scientific technical writer and technical writer lead duties and responsibilities

Scientific technical writer example responsibilities.

  • Help company achieve ISO registration by determining best practices, writing ISO compliant manufacturing instructions and teaching best manufacturing processes.
  • Maintain contacts within the FDA and EPA to stay abreast of the latest regulatory actions.
  • Develop sophisticated PowerPoint presentations for cross-departmental meetings.
  • Develop sophisticated PowerPoint presentations for cross-departmental meetings.

Technical writer lead example responsibilities.

  • Coordinate meetings, write and edit documentation, maintain SharePoint database, manage high-visibility special projects in a fast-pace environment.
  • Design graphics and illustrations for product documentation and training materials (CorelDraw and Visio).
  • Model include XML, HTML, and style sheet templates, guidelines, and training sessions.
  • Collaborate with SMEs to understand technical specifications.
  • Design an HTML instructional help system for a secure-encryption network product.
  • Process documents though the BCCR process for FDA regulations and legal requirements.
  • Show more

Scientific technical writer vs technical writer lead skills

Common scientific technical writer skills
  • Sops, 26%
  • Subject Matter Experts, 20%
  • FDA, 14%
  • Technical Reports, 9%
  • ISO, 6%
  • Adobe Acrobat, 6%
Common technical writer lead skills
  • Technical Documentation, 8%
  • Subject Matter Experts, 7%
  • Maintenance Procedures, 6%
  • Status Reports, 6%
  • Engineering Drawings, 5%
  • User Guides, 4%

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