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The differences between senior test engineers and software engineers lead can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior test engineer and a software engineer lead. Additionally, a software engineer lead has an average salary of $125,565, which is higher than the $82,775 average annual salary of a senior test engineer.
The top three skills for a senior test engineer include test cases, python and java. The most important skills for a software engineer lead are java, python, and software development.
| Senior Test Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $82,775 | $125,565 |
| Hourly rate | $39.80 | $60.37 |
| Growth rate | - | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 245,814 | 342,462 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior test engineer is an individual who is responsible for developing and implementing cost-effective methods of testing and troubleshooting computer systems and equipment. Senior test engineers must assist junior engineers in developing test plans and conducting testing activities on complex systems to meet program requirements. They aid in the areas of predictability, manufacturing processing, and improvement in the equipment and process. Senior test engineers must also develop proposal inputs and reviews documents generated by junior engineers.
A Software Engineer Lead is focused on developing and testing software programs. They manage a team of software engineers that design enterprise software products and operating systems.
Senior test engineers and software engineers lead have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Test Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Average salary | $82,775 | $125,565 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $107,000 | Between $93,000 And $168,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior test engineer and a software engineer lead in terms of educational background:
| Senior Test Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between senior test engineers' and software engineers lead' demographics:
| Senior Test Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9% | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% |
| 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, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |