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What does a software engineer lead do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted expert
Frank McCown Ph.D.
What does a software engineer lead do

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.

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Software engineer lead responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real software engineer lead resumes:

  • Lead project for setting up DR for Bitbucket and clustering for improve performance.
  • Manage development and production server environments in Linux.
  • Manage entire QA process from requirements documentation to final release testing.
  • Manage technical investigations of software and database problems; coordinating between users and developers, and developing fixes or recommending workarounds.
  • Enhance visualization and user friendly front-end are designed and develop using JSP, HTML, CSS.
  • Develop C++ and Java tools to perform monitoring and analysis of dynamic memory allocation and graphics image conversions.
  • Facilitate customization of systems by encouraging software engineering team to adopt emerging standards for software application development architecture and tools.
  • Change the look and feel of the data using CSS, JQuery in the SharePoint pages.
  • Move projects from perforce to git.
  • Develop an RTF to HTML conversion engine.
  • Work on moving it to Cassandra & Hadoop.
  • Used Hadoop to distribute load across various log loader instances.
  • Involve in writing maven scripts for building and deploying the code.
  • Implement and mentore team to develop aggregate, proxy and chain microservices.
  • Co-developed http: //jobie.com, the first job board focuse on company culture.

Software engineer lead skills and personality traits

We calculated that 15% of Software Engineers Lead are proficient in Java, Python, and Software Development. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Creativity.

We break down the percentage of Software Engineers Lead that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Java, 15%

    Developed Java Script utility objects for common client side validations, history handling, window management and menus management.

  • Python, 5%

    Automated generation of export files for reporting solution using Python.

  • Software Development, 5%

    Managed a five-person software development team developing a GUI-based Element Management System and SNMP Agent for a Cellular Telephony base station.

  • AWS, 4%

    Administered production and development environments on AWS and in-house servers.

  • Spring Boot, 4%

    Worked on Spring Cloud DataFlow using Spring Boot and Spring MVC and wrote a custom tail source plugin.

  • JavaScript, 4%

    Developed software using front-end frameworks including Angular and pure JavaScript.

Common skills that a software engineer lead uses to do their job include "java," "python," and "software development." You can find details on the most important software engineer lead responsibilities below.

Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a software engineer lead to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "developers must analyze users’ needs and then design software to meet those needs." Software engineers lead often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "developed internal property management software written in java running on tomcat using a mysql database for data management. "

Communication skills. Many software engineer lead duties rely on communication skills. "developers must be able to give clear instructions to others working on a project," so a software engineer lead will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways software engineer lead responsibilities rely on communication skills: "conducted structural analysis and adaptation (unix to windows) of software components handling military communication protocols. "

Creativity. software engineers lead are also known for creativity, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to software engineer lead responsibilities, because "developers are the creative minds behind new computer software." A software engineer lead resume example shows how creativity is used in the workplace: "designed an enterprise-wide skills inventory system using javascript, dhtml, and dom. "

Detail oriented. software engineer lead responsibilities often require "detail oriented." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "developers often work on many parts of an application or system at the same time and must therefore be able to concentrate and pay attention to detail." This resume example shows what software engineers lead do with detail oriented on a typical day: "implemented java messaging service (jms) message oriented middleware (mom) 2. "

Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for a software engineer lead to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what software engineers lead relies on this skill, since "because developers are in charge of software from beginning to end, they must be able to solve problems that arise throughout the design process." How this skill relates to software engineer lead duties can be seen in an example from a software engineer lead resume snippet: "created a java based content management system to assist in development and integration of software problem report solutions and file control. "

Most common software engineer lead skills

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Compare different software engineers lead

Software engineer lead vs. Engineer lead quality assurance lead

Engineer Lead Quality Assurance Leads are responsible for managing the designing and operations of hardware or software testing. Their duties include developing testing plans, implement risk mitigation strategies, communicate process improvements to cross-teams such as marketing and engineering, resolve the conflict between teams, and ensures product or software adheres to the organization and industry standards. They are also involved in reviewing technical design and specification, setting performance targets, and writing progress reports for management updates.

If we compare the average software engineer lead annual salary with that of an engineer lead quality assurance lead, we find that engineers lead quality assurance lead typically earn a $15,558 lower salary than software engineers lead make annually.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between software engineers lead and engineers lead quality assurance lead are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like java, scrum, and api.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between software engineers lead and engineer lead quality assurance lead. For instance, software engineer lead responsibilities require skills such as "python," "software development," "aws," and "spring boot." Whereas a engineer lead quality assurance lead is skilled in "test scripts," "test data," "selenium webdriver," and "test results." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Engineers lead quality assurance lead really shine in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $114,398. Comparatively, software engineers lead tend to make the most money in the automotive industry with an average salary of $125,218.The education levels that engineers lead quality assurance lead earn slightly differ from software engineers lead. In particular, engineers lead quality assurance lead are 6.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a software engineer lead. Additionally, they're 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Software engineer lead vs. Lead software developer

A lead software developer is responsible for creating and designing software applications and systems to support business functions and client requirements. Lead software developers analyze specifications to build efficient applications, conduct multiple quality testing, and enhance the user's interface. They also coordinate with the design engineers to modify and improve the features of existing software applications for optimal performance. A lead software developer must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in considering the current technology trends to meet demands.

Lead software developer positions earn lower pay than software engineer lead roles. They earn a $10,493 lower salary than software engineers lead per year.A few skills overlap for software engineers lead and lead software developers. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "java," "python," and "software development. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, software engineer lead responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "aws," "git," "database," and "google cloud platform." Meanwhile, a lead software developer has duties that require skills in areas such as "architecture," "application development," "net core," and "hr." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Lead software developers earn a lower average salary than software engineers lead. But lead software developers earn the highest pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $115,917. Additionally, software engineers lead earn the highest salaries in the automotive with average pay of $125,218 annually.In general, lead software developers achieve similar levels of education than software engineers lead. They're 1.7% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for software engineer leads in the next 3-5 years?

Frank McCown Ph.D.Frank McCown Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor, Harding University

Software continues to move to mobile devices and the web and away from desktop applications. The pandemic has encouraged growth in applications that make in-person transactions go away, and that trend will likely continue. Obviously AI-enabled or assisted applications will continue to grow.

Software engineer lead vs. Software architect

A Software Architect develops new programs for a variety of technological devices for businesses, computer games, mobile networks, and/or operating systems. They ensure architectural integrity and consistency across the entire product and work closely with executives to explain the benefits of the software.

On average scale, software architects bring in lower salaries than software engineers lead. In fact, they earn a $11,159 lower salary per year.By looking over several software engineers lead and software architects resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "java," "python," and "software development." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, software engineers lead are more likely to have skills like "google cloud platform," "mvc," "taking care," and "project management." But a software architect is more likely to have skills like "architecture," "cloud," "saas," and "design patterns."

Software architects earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $119,142. Comparatively, software engineers lead have the highest earning potential in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $125,218.software architects typically earn similar educational levels compared to software engineers lead. Specifically, they're 2.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Software engineer lead vs. Lead engineer

A lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, assessing risks, monitoring the budget, coordinating with clients and architects, and even training workers. Furthermore, as a lead engineer, it is crucial to conduct regular inspections to ensure the quality of work and maintain a safe environment for all workers.

Lead engineers tend to earn a lower pay than software engineers lead by an average of $40,638 per year.According to resumes from software engineers lead and lead engineers, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "java," "python," and "spring boot. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A software engineer lead uses "software development," "aws," "scrum," and "code reviews." Lead engineers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "architecture," "c #," "troubleshoot," and "excellent interpersonal. "lead engineers enjoy the best pay in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $110,872. For comparison, software engineers lead earn the highest salary in the automotive industry.lead engineers reach similar levels of education compared to software engineers lead, in general. The difference is that they're 4.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of software engineer lead

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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