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The differences between senior systems architects and lead systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead systems engineer has an average salary of $119,705, which is higher than the $113,858 average annual salary of a senior systems architect.
The top three skills for a senior systems architect include java, scrum and cloud. The most important skills for a lead systems engineer are systems engineering, architecture, and infrastructure.
| Senior Systems Architect | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $113,858 | $119,705 |
| Hourly rate | $54.74 | $57.55 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 143,269 | 186,392 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
It is the job of a senior systems architect to develop, enforce, and maintain servers under the goals of an organization. Senior systems architects assess the requirements of businesses and customers, design documents, and develop architectural approaches. The architects establish and interpret structural designs and serve as managers, advisors, and mentors. They take responsibility for providing technical advice for software development. Typically, they work onsite and in offices to ensure team cohesion and successful projects.
A lead systems engineer is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the systems infrastructure and improving the stability of the operating systems to support business operations. Lead systems engineers install and upgrade software applications and ensure that the technical strategies meet the quality standards and business requirements. They also enhance the performance of the existing systems, configuring features for optimization. A lead systems engineer must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in supporting the end-users with technical failures and identifying accurate resolutions.
Senior systems architects and lead systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Systems Architect | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $113,858 | $119,705 |
| Salary range | Between $83,000 And $155,000 | Between $90,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior systems architect and a lead systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Systems Architect | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between senior systems architects' and lead systems engineers' demographics:
| Senior Systems Architect | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.3% Female, 8.7% | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 12.5% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |