Senior linux systems administrator vs systems administrator lead

The differences between senior linux systems administrators and systems administrator leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a senior linux systems administrator and a systems administrator lead. Additionally, a senior linux systems administrator has an average salary of $106,223, which is higher than the $99,956 average annual salary of a systems administrator lead.

The top three skills for a senior linux systems administrator include python, windows and cloud. The most important skills for a systems administrator lead are linux, project management, and windows server.

Senior linux systems administrator vs systems administrator lead overview

	Senior Linux Systems Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Yearly salary	$106,223	$99,956
Hourly rate	$51.07	$48.06
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	107,134	132,285
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a senior linux systems administrator do?

Senior Linux systems administrators are computer system professionals who are responsible for monitoring the performance of Linux-based operating systems. These administrators must propose, implement, and manage software and hardware solutions to ensure data integrity and perform troubleshooting to critical and software issues. They are required to apply best practices in software engineering so that they can deliver projects on time and with excellent quality. Senior Linux systems administrators must also develop and execute test plans for filesystem upgrades and address any issues that arise during testing with vendors.

What does a systems administrator lead do?

A systems administrator lead is responsible for planning, designing, and implementing procedures for critical enterprise systems. Typical duties of systems administrators include managing the day-to-day operations of a company's computer and network systems, developing new application and system implementation plans, and establishing guidelines for installing and managing the organization's computer operating systems. In addition, you are expected to ensure the security of computer systems by preventing unauthorized use, user abuse, and acts of nature.

Senior linux systems administrator vs systems administrator lead salary

Senior linux systems administrators and systems administrator leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Linux Systems Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Average salary	$106,223	$99,956
Salary range	Between $82,000 And $137,000	Between $77,000 And $129,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	California
Best paying company	Anaplan	Kabam
Best paying industry	Technology	Telecommunication

Differences between senior linux systems administrator and systems administrator lead education

There are a few differences between a senior linux systems administrator and a systems administrator lead in terms of educational background:

	Senior Linux Systems Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	-	Stanford University

Senior linux systems administrator vs systems administrator lead demographics

Here are the differences between senior linux systems administrators' and systems administrator leads' demographics:

	Senior Linux Systems Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0%	Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 13.9% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.7% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between senior linux systems administrator and systems administrator lead duties and responsibilities

Senior linux systems administrator example responsibilities.

Manage TCP/IP packets and DHCP servers.
Administer Jenkins for managing weekly build, test and deploy cycle.
Used AWS S3 and EC2 for managing storage, launching virtual servers, configuration of security & networking.
Manage NFS and NAS mounting that include adding new mounts, resolving mounting issues on Solaris and RedHat Linux platforms.
Lead system virtualization project and reduce server numbers.
Experience shell scripting to automate administration jobs including backups for Websphere administration repository.

Systems administrator lead example responsibilities.

Manage all Citrix user connections and issues, print network, server environment and supplies.
Manage printers on the print servers and re-serve IP addresses for devices from the DHCP servers.
Manage software development group SharePoint portal.
Save company many hours of manual testing and developing by engineering Java applications to automate tedious tasks.
Manage development, manufacturing, test and delivery of custom broadband RF electronic test systems for military and aerospace customers.
Perform day-to-day management of system applications and services (NTP, DNS, LDAP, etc .).

Senior linux systems administrator vs systems administrator lead skills

Common senior linux systems administrator skills

Python, 7%
Windows, 6%
Cloud, 5%
Bash, 5%
OS, 4%
Red Hat, 4%

Common systems administrator lead skills

Linux, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Windows Server, 5%
System Performance, 5%
Technical Support, 5%
Database, 5%

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Senior Linux Systems Administrator
Senior Linux Systems Administrator vs Systems Administrator Lead

Updated January 8, 2025

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