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The differences between software development engineers lead and senior 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 software development engineer lead and a senior software engineer lead. Additionally, a senior software engineer lead has an average salary of $129,060, which is higher than the $119,557 average annual salary of a software development engineer lead.
The top three skills for a software development engineer lead include java, API and python. The most important skills for a senior software engineer lead are java, architecture, and software development.
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Senior Software Engineer Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $119,557 | $129,060 |
| Hourly rate | $57.48 | $62.05 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 343,868 | 322,973 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Lead software development engineers take responsibility for providing technical mentorship and guidance to a team consisting of software engineers. The engineers implement codes with high quality in a test-driven and agile environment. They develop software development plans and assign related tasks to their team members. It is their job to lead different aspects regarding application development such as requirements application, and database design, implementation, and gathering. Also, they develop access/usage and sales analytic reports.
A senior software engineer lead is responsible for overseeing the software creation process. They analyze projects, rectify errors, interpret project requirements, and develop detailed designs. They must create reports of all weekly tasks and ensure best practices are followed by their team.
Software development engineers lead and senior software engineers lead have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Senior Software Engineer Lead | |
| Average salary | $119,557 | $129,060 |
| Salary range | Between $91,000 And $155,000 | Between $96,000 And $173,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | PitchBook Data | PitchBook Data |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a software development engineer lead and a senior software engineer lead in terms of educational background:
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Senior Software Engineer Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between software development engineers lead' and senior software engineers lead' demographics:
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Senior Software Engineer Lead | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2% | Male, 79.0% Female, 21.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 33.4% White, 48.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |