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What is a software development engineer lead and how to become one
Lead software development engineers are in charge of a team that develops new software products. They can work as consultants or in-house for a development company, where they oversee all aspects of creating new software from development to quality testing.
Lead software development engineers need to be highly proficient in coding languages, from Java to HTML, in order to help develop software. However, they do not just spend their days staring at screens full of code. Lead software development engineers also take care of administrative work involved with a development project, like delegating tasks or documenting quality testing results. They also need to be good with people since they lead a whole team of development engineers.
Becoming a lead software development engineer involves a lot of work. Most lead software development engineers have bachelor's or even master's degrees in computer science or a related field. They also need many years of experience as software development engineers before they can lead others. The average annual salary for a software development engineer lead is $126,372.
What general advice would you give to a software development engineer lead?
Frank McCown Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Harding University
Avg. Salary $119,557
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 21%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%
Asian 30.03%
Black or African American 4.33%
Hispanic or Latino 8.06%
Unknown 4.77%
White 52.65%
Genderfemale 16.17%
male 83.83%
Age - 38American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 38Stress level is moderate
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is good
6.4 - fair
Software development engineer lead career paths
Key steps to become a software development engineer lead
Explore software development engineer lead education requirements
Start to develop specific software development engineer lead skills
Skills Percentages Java 18.23% API 5.49% Python 5.27% Architecture 5.21% AWS 4.52% Complete relevant software development engineer lead training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New software development engineers lead 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 software development engineer lead based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real software development engineer lead resumes.Research software development engineer lead duties and responsibilities
- Manage and track issues and provide liaison between stakeholders, customers, management, development and QA in an agile environment.
- Lead and coordinate developers across geographically distribute scrum teams.
- Manage application delivery projects using background in SDLC and project management methodology.
- Establish and direct overall QA effort for own areas including API, UI and scenario-base tests.
Get software development engineer lead experience
Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a software development engineer lead. The most common roles before becoming a software development engineer lead include software development engineer, software engineer team lead and senior software engineer.Prepare your software development engineer lead resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your software development engineer lead resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a software development engineer lead resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
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Apply for software development engineer lead jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a software development engineer lead 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
How did you land your first software development engineer lead job
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Average software development engineer lead salary
The average software development engineer lead salary in the United States is $119,557 per year or $57 per hour. Software development engineer lead salaries range between $91,000 and $155,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do software development engineers lead rate their job?
Software development engineer lead reviews
Problem solving and cutting edge technology - always learning and evolving my skill set
Still have to deal with people :)
I enjoyed working on creative problems that dealt with the user interface
I didn't like how technical it could become
Designing a new system or making changes to an old one.
Compensation. Pay and Benefits do not match the time spent on a project. Alabama is the Worst state to live in for SOFTWARE ENGINEER Salaries. 40 to 50 percent less than our peer States.
Updated January 8, 2025
