What does a senior/lead developer do?
A lead developer typically works for a software company. They are responsible for designing, developing, and debugging code. They lead a software team and communicate all team activities to their management. They must have creative expertise, great communication skills, and an aptitude for teamwork.
Senior/lead developer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior/lead developer resumes:
- Lead team through creative process to define company website design and flow within an HTML template.
- Lead team of UI and PL/SQL developers to improve UI performance by tuning SQL and modifying UI code.
- Implement new requirements and enhancements, data center migrations thereby handling and managing respective QA and production releases.
- Manage internal enterprise applications through the SDLC, encompassing purchase ordering, resource provisioning, content management and digital phone administration.
- Design, develop UI screens with JSP, JSF, AJAX and JQUERY to provide interactive screens to display data.
- Develop a cross-device/cross-browser web application for real-time location sharing utilizing AngularJS, JavaScript API.
- Used JSF for internal report generation by fetching data from database with customize view using CSS and AJAX for form processing.
- Develop the tags similar to HTML tags for user to add the template.
- Store normalized health data from insurance providers/ fitness devices using VoltDB in JSON format.
- Used JSON in order to evaluate the service responses from the server on the client side.
- Participate in daily scrum stand-up meetings, sprint review meetings and sprint retro meetings to provide inputs and feedback.
- Design XML base libraries using DOM and XSLT to convert legacy data into XML for uniform processing and presentation.
- Adapt a jQuery base menu control to dynamically create menu choices base upon the role of the logged on user.
- Involve in the migration of the code in QA environment with QA team and complete rigorous unit testing of each graph.
- Develop API for integrating entity objects with external systems.
Senior/lead developer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Senior/Lead Developers are proficient in Java, C++, and JavaScript. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Creativity.
We break down the percentage of Senior/Lead Developers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Java, 8%
Created Framework objects SearchResultSet and Pooled Connections which were used extensively across all Java applications in DOR.
- C++, 5%
Designed and implemented Category allocation model and Asset allocation model functionality using C, C++, PL/SQL, STL, CORBA.
- JavaScript, 5%
Developed a custom real-time JavaScript searching mechanism called Power Search.
- Web Application, 5%
Participated in community meetings and government meetings to establish a development directive for a city web application.
- Architecture, 4%
Participate in the development of the technical design and architecture for the system solutions and preparing detailed specifications document.
- Data Warehouse, 3%
Constructed data warehouse technology to generate trending analysis not supported by ERP system.
Common skills that a senior/lead developer uses to do their job include "java," "c++," and "javascript." You can find details on the most important senior/lead developer responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a senior/lead developer to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "developers must analyze users’ needs and then design software to meet those needs." Additionally, a senior/lead developer resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "analyzed the requirements and explored feasibility of incorporating spring framework. "
Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling senior/lead developer duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "developers must be able to give clear instructions to others working on a project." According to a senior/lead developer resume, here's how senior/lead developers can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "develop system integration framework to facilitate communication between j2ee and non j2ee systems. "
Creativity. This is an important skill for senior/lead developers to perform their duties. For an example of how senior/lead developer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "developers are the creative minds behind new computer software." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a senior/lead developer: "repair management inventory system (inr, novosibirsk, ims / mvs, assembler, cobol, db2). ".
Detail oriented. For certain senior/lead developer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "detail oriented." The day-to-day duties of a senior/lead developer rely on this skill, as "developers often work on many parts of an application or system at the same time and must therefore be able to concentrate and pay attention to detail." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what senior/lead developers do: "develop .net applications/web in c#/asp.net, webservices, javascript, sql technical requirements functional/detailed gathering and documentation for projects. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for senior/lead developer responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of senior/lead developers all the time, as "because developers are in charge of software from beginning to end, they must be able to solve problems that arise throughout the design process." An excerpt from a real senior/lead developer resume shows how this skill is central to what a senior/lead developer does: "involved in strategic planning of our architectural approach to solutions across java and .net platforms. "
The three companies that hire the most senior/lead developers are:
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Compare different senior/lead developers
Senior/lead developer vs. Applications developer
An application developer is responsible for creating program applications for devices based on clients' specifications and business needs. Application developers must have excellent knowledge of computer systems, as well as a strong command of programming languages to develop customized programs. Duties of an application developer also include running diagnostic tests to ensure the application's performance and stability, providing instruction manuals for reference, performing troubleshooting for any inconsistencies, upgrading design codes for optimization, and launching the application following the client's timetable.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, senior/lead developer responsibilities require skills like "architecture," "data warehouse," "informatica," and "code reviews." Meanwhile a typical applications developer has skills in areas such as "database," "regression," "git," and "front end." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Applications developers earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $103,905. On the other hand, senior/lead developers are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $136,565.On average, applications developers reach lower levels of education than senior/lead developers. Applications developers are 6.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior/lead developer vs. Database developer
A database developer specializes in designing and creating storage programs according to a client's needs. Their responsibilities revolve around meeting with clients to discuss their preferences and requirements, coordinating with other teams, identifying errors or inconsistencies by conducting regular maintenance tests, and monitoring its performance to ensure smooth workflow. A database developer may also respond to inquiries and concerns, provide corrective measures, produce instructional materials for the database users, and develop strategies to keep the data safe and secure.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, senior/lead developer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "web application," "architecture," "api," and "web services." Meanwhile, a database developer has duties that require skills in areas such as "c #," "microsoft sql server," "database development," and "database design." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Database developers may earn a lower salary than senior/lead developers, but database developers earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $96,203. On the other hand, senior/lead developers receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $136,565.In general, database developers achieve lower levels of education than senior/lead developers. They're 5.5% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior/lead developers in the next 3-5 years?
Frank McCown Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Harding University
Senior/lead developer vs. Net developer
A NET developer specializes in crafting and producing various software and information systems through extensive computer and information technology knowledge. A NET developer's responsibilities range from designing and developing applications, generating codes and building a secure database, implementing regulations, and providing continuous support and maintenance. A NET developer must also have an active line of communication and coordination as there are instances when one's work revolves in a team setting or meets particular demands or specifications from a client.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from senior/lead developer resumes include skills like "c++," "data warehouse," "api," and "etl," whereas a net developer is more likely to list skills in "database," "net framework," "web forms," and "xml web. "
Net developers make a very good living in the retail industry with an average annual salary of $94,650. On the other hand, senior/lead developers are paid the highest salary in the finance industry, with average annual pay of $136,565.Most net developers achieve a lower degree level compared to senior/lead developers. For example, they're 6.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior/lead developer vs. Architect and developer
An Architect And Developer is focused on the technical design, architecture, and development of products. They generally work as a part of the development team.
Types of senior/lead developer
Updated January 8, 2025
