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Senior architect vs associate

The differences between senior architects and associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior architect has an average salary of $91,624, which is higher than the $69,556 average annual salary of an associate.

The top three skills for a senior architect include cloud, java and infrastructure. The most important skills for an associate are customer service, sales floor, and patients.

Senior architect vs associate overview

Senior ArchitectAssociate
Yearly salary$91,624$69,556
Hourly rate$44.05$33.44
Growth rate3%-
Number of jobs103,428569,041
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age4541
Years of experience4-

What does a senior architect do?

A Senior Architect performs design drafting and evaluates architectural or engineering plans regarding building construction or improvement projects. They review building plans and site design for aesthetics, environmental acceptability, and compliance with quality standards.

What does an associate do?

Associates are typically entry-level positions for employees who are taking on their first job or organizational role. They are assigned to teams or departments that are related to their skills or educational background. They usually start with smaller tasks that may not seem as impactful but are still essential to the department. Associates are trained by more tenured team members on the ins and outs of the department and the organization. As they grow with the organization, they are given more responsibilities that directly impact the results of the department's initiatives as they work towards their goals.

Senior architect vs associate salary

Senior architects and associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior ArchitectAssociate
Average salary$91,624$69,556
Salary rangeBetween $58,000 And $143,000Between $34,000 And $140,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateHawaiiNew York
Best paying companyRopes & GraySimpson Thacher & Bartlett
Best paying industry--

Differences between senior architect and associate education

There are a few differences between a senior architect and an associate in terms of educational background:

Senior ArchitectAssociate
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common majorComputer ScienceBusiness
Most common collegeCornell University-

Senior architect vs associate demographics

Here are the differences between senior architects' and associates' demographics:

Senior ArchitectAssociate
Average age4541
Gender ratioMale, 89.0% Female, 11.0%Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 16.1% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage15%7%

Differences between senior architect and associate duties and responsibilities

Senior architect example responsibilities.

  • Manage software integration using middle-ware and other enterprise software such as CTI systems, workforce management systems, and ERP systems.
  • Develop several custom Java and Perl systems used to manage operations of critical systems.
  • Manage the development infrastructure, change control, configuration items and application security utilizing knowledge of information resource management.
  • Coordinate project management, solutions configuration, integration capabilities, and cloud computing functionality.
  • Design end to end CI/CD pipeline using Jenkins.
  • Develop apex triggers, classes and visualforce pages.
  • Show more

Associate example responsibilities.

  • Manage the sale of smoothies at different educational institutes while interacting with hundreds of students and ensuring their happiness and satisfaction.
  • Manage customer resolutions associate with flight reservations.
  • Lead the team by exemplify reliability through punctuality and personal integrity.
  • Help drive sales by providing excellent customer service in gourmet cheese, wine, beer, and coffee departments.
  • Utilize teamwork, communication, customer service, responsibility, and organizational skills.
  • Work according to ISO standards.
  • Show more

Senior architect vs associate skills

Common senior architect skills
  • Cloud, 8%
  • Java, 6%
  • Infrastructure, 5%
  • Emerging Technologies, 5%
  • AWS, 5%
  • Digital Transformation, 5%
Common associate skills
  • Customer Service, 16%
  • Sales Floor, 13%
  • Patients, 10%
  • Cleanliness, 8%
  • Windows, 4%
  • HR, 4%

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