Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior control systems engineers and senior lead systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior control systems engineer, becoming a senior lead systems engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior lead systems engineer has an average salary of $114,766, which is higher than the $109,721 average annual salary of a senior control systems engineer.
The top three skills for a senior control systems engineer include MATLAB, C++ and project management. The most important skills for a senior lead systems engineer are java, systems engineering, and architecture.
| Senior Control Systems Engineer | Senior Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $109,721 | $114,766 |
| Hourly rate | $52.75 | $55.18 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 154,439 | 251,239 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
As senior control systems engineer's main task is to provide automatic solutions to their company through technologies such as DCS, PLC, and custom-built panels. They are responsible for designing and analyzing control systems for their company and identifying any potential issues. They troubleshoot the malfunctions within the control systems of the company. In addition to that, they provide the company with system designs and engineering tasks.
A senior lead systems engineer specializes in designing and developing systems for different industries. Besides engineering systems, they lead the efforts put into completing various projects and programs. Their duties usually include spearheading the research activities, establishing goals and guidelines, setting timelines, selecting resources, delegating responsibilities, and monitoring operations from planning to production, addressing issues and concerns to solve them promptly and efficiently. Additionally, as a senior lead systems engineer, they must lead and empower teams while implementing safety policies and industry standards.
Senior control systems engineers and senior lead systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Control Systems Engineer | Senior Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $109,721 | $114,766 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $142,000 | Between $86,000 And $151,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior control systems engineer and a senior lead systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Control Systems Engineer | Senior Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between senior control systems engineers' and senior lead systems engineers' demographics:
| Senior Control Systems Engineer | Senior Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.1% Female, 6.9% | Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.9% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 14.1% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 9% |