How To Become A Senior System Integrator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior system integrator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Mark Whalen P.E.

Senior systems integrators help companies adopt sophisticated technologies into their current systems. That said, their role is imperative in ensuring that companies stay up-to-date with modern technologies, which is necessary for upholding their competitive edge against other companies.

The main responsibilities of a senior systems integrator include designing, implementing, and synthesizing tech applications to meet their organization's requirements, communicating with clients to determine their needs and suggest appropriate solutions, and supporting clients after installation and during integration. Their duties may also include installing software, configuring devices, and inspecting the organization's servers.

When looking for the best candidates for this role, employers turn their attention to applicants with at least a bachelor's degree in computer science or IT and substantial experience in system integration or other similar roles. Since this is a senior position, many employers also consider an applicant's leadership, communication, and client services skills.

Senior system integrators usually enjoy excellent job security, a comfortable working environment, and outstanding benefits. Apart from that, they earn an average salary of $100,000 per year.

What general advice would you give to a senior system integrator?

Mark Whalen P.E.

Department Chair, Massachusetts Maritime Academy

A system engineer designs, develops, and manages complex technical systems across a large variety of industries. This can include defining solutions to system-level problems, plus allocating requirements, technologies and team member tasking at a project level, as well as communicating complex ideas and systems to key stakeholders.

An entry-level system engineer will typically apply advanced mathematical techniques to solve system-level technical problems, as well as installing, testing, and troubleshooting complex operating systems

ScoreSenior System IntegratorUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $107,719

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.3

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.19%

Asian 14.56%

Black or African American 10.29%

Hispanic or Latino 11.06%

Unknown 5.01%

White 58.89%

Gender

female 14.67%

male 85.33%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

5.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior system integrator

Explore senior system integrator education requirements

Most common senior system integrator degrees

Bachelor's

61.8 %

Associate

19.3 %

Master's

14.9 %

Start to develop specific senior system integrator skills

Skills	Percentages
Management System	22.39%
Project Management	20.90%
Database	20.53%
TCP/IP	13.88%
Java	2.08%

Complete relevant senior system integrator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior system integrators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior system integrator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior system integrator resumes.

Research senior system integrator duties and responsibilities

Manage virtual and physical Unix servers for multiple IBM accounts.
Manage and work with implementation team to bring ERP systems online within budget.
Design and manage wireless infrastructure using WPA2 encryption and a centralize authentication using SSL and a user base lightweight directory database.
Provide on-site and telephone technical support for classify DoD computer systems and LANs.

Get senior system integrator experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a senior system integrator. The most common roles before becoming a senior system integrator include systems integrator, senior systems engineer team lead and systems administrator.

Apply for senior system integrator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a senior system integrator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams