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The differences between senior technical developers and technical team leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior technical developer, becoming a technical team lead takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior technical developer has an average salary of $112,642, which is higher than the $90,219 average annual salary of a technical team lead.
The top three skills for a senior technical developer include java, emerging technologies and javascript. The most important skills for a technical team lead are customer service, patients, and java.
| Senior Technical Developer | Technical Team Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $112,642 | $90,219 |
| Hourly rate | $54.15 | $43.37 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 325,032 | 254,215 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A senior technical developer develops top-notch software architecture and software design. Besides identifying, prioritizing, and executing tasks under the software development field, senior technical developers also develop tools and various applications by creating clean and efficient code. These professionals work hand-in-hand with vendors and internal team members to correct and enhance products. Other duties performed by senior technical developers include updating software with modern technologies, validating and verifying tests, reviewing and debugging code, and automating tasks by using the right tools and through appropriate scripting.
The responsibilities of a technical team lead revolve around overseeing the progress and performance of a technical team, ensuring they are functioning efficiently. They mostly delegate tasks, manage schedules, set goals, produce reports and presentations, respond to correspondence, and coordinate with staff, clients, and other department personnel to ensure accuracy and timeliness for all projects. As the leader, it is crucial to implement the policies and regulations of the company, all while leading and encouraging the staff to reach goals.
Senior technical developers and technical team leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Technical Developer | Technical Team Lead | |
| Average salary | $112,642 | $90,219 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $145,000 | Between $66,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior technical developer and a technical team lead in terms of educational background:
| Senior Technical Developer | Technical Team Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior technical developers' and technical team leads' demographics:
| Senior Technical Developer | Technical Team Lead | |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% | Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 14.5% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |