Senior system administrator vs systems administrator lead

The differences between senior system 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 system administrator and a systems administrator lead. Additionally, a systems administrator lead has an average salary of $99,956, which is higher than the $98,146 average annual salary of a senior system administrator.

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

Senior system administrator vs systems administrator lead overview

	Senior System Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Yearly salary	$98,146	$99,956
Hourly rate	$47.19	$48.06
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	100,873	132,285
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a senior system administrator do?

A senior system administrator specializes in overseeing the computer system operations in an organization. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around monitoring the performance of all software and hardware, installing servers, configuring systems, and making sure every technical aspect is running smoothly. Should there be any issues, they must take charge of troubleshooting and providing solutions. As someone with more experience, a senior system administrator leads and evaluates the performances of fellow skilled professionals in the department, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

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 system administrator vs systems administrator lead salary

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

	Senior System Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Average salary	$98,146	$99,956
Salary range	Between $75,000 And $126,000	Between $77,000 And $129,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Cambridge Associates	Kabam
Best paying industry	Finance	Telecommunication

Differences between senior system administrator and systems administrator lead education

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

	Senior System Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Stanford University

Senior system administrator vs systems administrator lead demographics

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

	Senior System Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0%	Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 61.4% 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 system administrator and systems administrator lead duties and responsibilities

Senior system administrator example responsibilities.

Manage and optimize the design and delivery of project associate with AIX arena.
Manage all installs and setup of new servers, and server upgrades to server 2008 R2.
Implement IIS servers for both the internal and external web servers and managing security on all web servers.
Design, implement, and manage a network and domain extension in a remote location via a secure VPN link.
Manage Cisco network equipment including firewalls and switches.
Administer and manage daily backups via Symantec NetBackup.

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 system administrator vs systems administrator lead skills

Common senior system administrator skills

Linux, 7%
Windows Server, 6%
Troubleshoot, 5%
System Administration, 4%
PowerShell, 4%
SAN, 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 System Administrator vs Systems Administrator Lead

Updated January 8, 2025

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