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The differences between senior application architects and lead architects can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior application architect has an average salary of $121,139, which is higher than the $104,687 average annual salary of a lead architect.
The top three skills for a senior application architect include cloud, java and API. The most important skills for a lead architect are digital transformation, architecture, and java.
| Senior Application Architect | Lead Architect | |
| Yearly salary | $121,139 | $104,687 |
| Hourly rate | $58.24 | $50.33 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 283,741 | 266,541 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
Senior application architects are information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for designing and developing IT applications architecture solutions to business problems of an organization. These architects must utilize new technologies that can improve existing systems and ensure the proper synchronization of software and system architectures. They must lead a team of professionals in application development to build plans for capacity planning, application performance, and endurance testing. Senior application architects must also work with customers to gather and analyze their functional and business requirements.
A lead architect spearheads architectural operations while maintaining an active communication line with clients. They typically meet with clients to discuss the project's needs and specifications, agree on a budget, provide advice and recommendations, and negotiate contracts. They are also in charge of developing building designs, coordinating staff, devising plans, incorporating essential systems, and providing technical and guidance as needed. Moreover, as the lead architect of the project, they must enforce policies and regulations to maintain a smooth and efficient workflow.
Senior application architects and lead architects have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Application Architect | Lead Architect | |
| Average salary | $121,139 | $104,687 |
| Salary range | Between $93,000 And $156,000 | Between $78,000 And $139,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a senior application architect and a lead architect in terms of educational background:
| Senior Application Architect | Lead Architect | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior application architects' and lead architects' demographics:
| Senior Application Architect | Lead Architect | |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 8% | 11% |