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The differences between senior support 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 support engineer, becoming a lead engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior support engineer has an average salary of $107,037, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for a senior support engineer include java, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Senior Support Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,037 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $51.46 | $40.83 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 215,312 | 301,777 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
A senior support engineer specializes in providing technical support to clients. They are typically in charge of working on complicated technical issues, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Their responsibilities include communicating with clients, addressing their needs, troubleshooting, and providing step by step solutions. They may also arrange repair appointments or refer clients to other services. Furthermore, as a senior support engineer, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior engineers, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
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 support engineers and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Support Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $107,037 | $84,927 |
| Salary range | Between $83,000 And $137,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior support engineer and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Support Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior support engineers' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Senior Support Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 15.2% White, 53.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 11% | 5% |