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The differences between senior software engineers lead and software architects can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior software engineer lead and a software architect. Additionally, a senior software engineer lead has an average salary of $129,060, which is higher than the $114,406 average annual salary of a software architect.
The top three skills for a senior software engineer lead include java, architecture and software development. The most important skills for a software architect are java, architecture, and cloud.
| Senior Software Engineer Lead | Software Architect | |
| Yearly salary | $129,060 | $114,406 |
| Hourly rate | $62.05 | $55.00 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 322,973 | 319,594 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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 Software Architect develops new programs for a variety of technological devices for businesses, computer games, mobile networks, and/or operating systems. They ensure architectural integrity and consistency across the entire product and work closely with executives to explain the benefits of the software.
Senior software engineers lead and software architects have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Software Engineer Lead | Software Architect | |
| Average salary | $129,060 | $114,406 |
| Salary range | Between $96,000 And $173,000 | Between $82,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | PitchBook Data | Aspiration |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a senior software engineer lead and a software architect in terms of educational background:
| Senior Software Engineer Lead | Software Architect | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between senior software engineers lead' and software architects' demographics:
| Senior Software Engineer Lead | Software Architect | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.0% Female, 21.0% | Male, 93.8% Female, 6.2% |
| 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, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |