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The differences between senior automation engineers and lead test technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior automation engineer and a lead test technician. Additionally, a senior automation engineer has an average salary of $107,866, which is higher than the $81,566 average annual salary of a lead test technician.
The top three skills for a senior automation engineer include python, java and PLC. The most important skills for a lead test technician are java, QA, and test strategy.
| Senior Automation Engineer | Lead Test Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $107,866 | $81,566 |
| Hourly rate | $51.86 | $39.21 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 211,113 | 51,060 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior automation engineer is responsible for delivering technological solutions designed for software processes. You are expected to collaborate with other teams to help identify and eliminate issues by collecting requirements and executing process automation. Other duties that you will likely perform include identifying new automation opportunities for software processes, designing and implementing quality assurance tests, and identifying bugs and quality issues. You also have to work closely with other departments on how best to improve workflow through automation.
Lead test technicians are professionals who are responsible for leading a group of test professionals to test products and report their findings to engineers or product developers. These technicians are required to design and develop test plans and procedures so that they can validate the requirements of products. They are required to use various test equipment as well as to conduct maintenance to ensure the product's functionality and quality. Lead test technicians must also gather and analyze user feedback to improve the overall user experience and satisfaction.
Senior automation engineers and lead test technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Automation Engineer | Lead Test Technician | |
| Average salary | $107,866 | $81,566 |
| Salary range | Between $83,000 And $138,000 | Between $65,000 And $101,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Macy's | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior automation engineer and a lead test technician in terms of educational background:
| Senior Automation Engineer | Lead Test Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior automation engineers' and lead test technicians' demographics:
| Senior Automation Engineer | Lead Test Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.9% Female, 13.1% | Male, 70.3% Female, 29.7% |
| 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% |