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The differences between senior application architects and senior leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior application architect, becoming a senior leader takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior application architect has an average salary of $121,139, which is higher than the $114,328 average annual salary of a senior leader.
The top three skills for a senior application architect include cloud, java and API. The most important skills for a senior leader are java, project management, and architecture.
| Senior Application Architect | Senior Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $121,139 | $114,328 |
| Hourly rate | $58.24 | $54.97 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 283,741 | 214,805 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 39 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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 senior leader specializes in overseeing the business operations and work progress within a particular department or office. Focusing on the workflow and the workforce, they are in charge of assessing performances and motivating staff to meet goals and stay within the allotted time and budget. They may also participate in the hiring and training of new employees, utilizing their talents and shaping them into valuable members of the workforce, all while implementing company rules and regulations.
Senior application architects and senior leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Application Architect | Senior Leader | |
| Average salary | $121,139 | $114,328 |
| Salary range | Between $93,000 And $156,000 | Between $80,000 And $162,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior application architect and a senior leader in terms of educational background:
| Senior Application Architect | Senior Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior application architects' and senior leaders' demographics:
| Senior Application Architect | Senior Leader | |
| Average age | 39 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% | Male, 71.2% Female, 28.8% |
| 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, 10.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.6% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |