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The differences between senior lead systems engineers and lead engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a senior lead systems engineer, becoming a lead engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior lead systems engineer has an average salary of $114,766, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for a senior lead systems engineer include java, systems engineering and architecture. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Senior Lead Systems Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $114,766 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $55.18 | $40.83 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 251,239 | 301,777 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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.
A lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, assessing risks, monitoring the budget, coordinating with clients and architects, and even training workers. Furthermore, as a lead engineer, it is crucial to conduct regular inspections to ensure the quality of work and maintain a safe environment for all workers.
Senior lead systems engineers and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Lead Systems Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $114,766 | $84,927 |
| Salary range | Between $86,000 And $151,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior lead systems engineer and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Lead Systems Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior lead systems engineers' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Senior Lead Systems Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |