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The differences between software development engineers lead and software development managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a software development engineer lead, becoming a software development manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a software development manager has an average salary of $134,747, 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 software development manager are java, AWS, and architecture.
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Software Development Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $119,557 | $134,747 |
| Hourly rate | $57.48 | $64.78 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 343,868 | 265,464 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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 software development manager is an individual who manages teams of software developers that design and create software applications and web services for clients. Software development managers should delegate duties and establish development standards for the development team as well as create a budget and timeline for the project. They must meet with management to discuss how software applications can achieve business objectives. Once the software has been developed, software development managers must train technical and non-technical end-users. They must also be skilled in different programming languages such as HTML, SQL, and JavaScript.
Software development engineers lead and software development managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Software Development Manager | |
| Average salary | $119,557 | $134,747 |
| Salary range | Between $91,000 And $155,000 | Between $100,000 And $180,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | PitchBook Data | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software development engineer lead and a software development manager in terms of educational background:
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Software Development Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between software development engineers lead' and software development managers' demographics:
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Software Development Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2% | Male, 85.1% Female, 14.9% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |