Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior software engineers lead and lead engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior software engineer lead, becoming a lead engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior software engineer lead has an average salary of $129,060, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for a senior software engineer lead include java, architecture and software development. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Senior Software Engineer Lead | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $129,060 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $62.05 | $40.83 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 322,973 | 301,777 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A senior software engineer lead is responsible for overseeing the software creation process. They analyze projects, rectify errors, interpret project requirements, and develop detailed designs. They must create reports of all weekly tasks and ensure best practices are followed by their team.
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 software engineers lead and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Software Engineer Lead | Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $129,060 | $84,927 |
| Salary range | Between $96,000 And $173,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | PitchBook Data | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior software engineer lead and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Software Engineer Lead | Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior software engineers lead' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Senior Software Engineer Lead | Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.0% Female, 21.0% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 33.4% White, 48.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 8% | 5% |