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The differences between senior software managers and software engineers lead can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a senior software manager, becoming a software engineer lead takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior software manager has an average salary of $145,610, which is higher than the $125,565 average annual salary of a software engineer lead.
The top three skills for a senior software manager include software development, java and cycle management. The most important skills for a software engineer lead are java, python, and software development.
| Senior Software Manager | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $145,610 | $125,565 |
| Hourly rate | $70.00 | $60.37 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 139,282 | 342,462 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 4 |
A senior software manager leads a testing team. They are responsible for counseling junior staff, managing resources, conducting software testing, and ensuring quality standards are met. This position requires someone who is resourceful and dynamic. They must also hold an advanced degree.
A Software Engineer Lead is focused on developing and testing software programs. They manage a team of software engineers that design enterprise software products and operating systems.
Senior software managers and software engineers lead have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Software Manager | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Average salary | $145,610 | $125,565 |
| Salary range | Between $107,000 And $197,000 | Between $93,000 And $168,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | eBay | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior software manager and a software engineer lead in terms of educational background:
| Senior Software Manager | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between senior software managers' and software engineers lead' demographics:
| Senior Software Manager | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.5% Female, 20.5% | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 20.4% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |