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What is a software engineer-team lead and how to become one
When you are both a software engineer and a team lead, you are in charge of a team of software engineers, which means that you oversee their activities, ensure that all goals are met, and provide coaching as necessary. Furthermore, you are the one calling the shots and making critical decisions, especially when it comes to major changes in the project or the team as a whole.
To help you get a better glimpse of this role, the typical duties of actual software engineers-team leads include analyzing project requirements, identifying and troubleshooting errors, delegating tasks to colleagues, developing user interfaces, and overseeing every step of the process in software development.
Before you can become a software engineer-team lead, you must have an adequate background in software development, which usually involves a degree in computer science or engineering. Furthermore, you must have substantial experience as both a software engineer and a leader to become a software engineer-team lead, along with exemplary skills in communication, people management, and problem-solving.
As you would expect, the salary of a software engineer-team lead is high, averaging at $114,000 a year or roughly $55 an hour.
What general advice would you give to a software engineer-team lead?
Frank McCown Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Harding University
Avg. Salary $124,741
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 21%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%
Asian 29.95%
Black or African American 4.41%
Hispanic or Latino 8.15%
Unknown 4.79%
White 52.52%
Genderfemale 18.84%
male 81.16%
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 engineer-team lead career paths
Key steps to become a software engineer-team lead
Explore software engineer-team lead education requirements
Start to develop specific software engineer-team lead skills
Skills Percentages Java 13.14% Architecture 7.05% Software Development 6.66% Web Application 5.21% Database 4.94% Complete relevant software engineer-team lead training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New software engineers-team 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 engineer-team lead based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real software engineer-team lead resumes.Research software engineer-team lead duties and responsibilities
- Manage code builds and server deployments over multiple test and production environments using Jenkins.
- Manage a team of developers responsible for development, testing debugging, and maintenance of the PBUSE software application.
- Incorporate existing technology such as Win32 API, C++ pointer to gain performance and to save project time line.
- Co-Le UNIX C++ infrastructure software maintenance team.
Get software engineer-team lead experience
Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a software engineer-team lead. The most common roles before becoming a software engineer-team lead include software engineer, senior software engineer team lead and software developer.Prepare your software engineer-team lead resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your software engineer-team 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 engineer-team lead resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable software engineer-team lead resume templates
Build a professional software engineer-team lead resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your software engineer-team lead resume.
Apply for software engineer-team lead jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a software engineer-team 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 engineer-team lead job
Are you a software engineer-team lead?
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Average software engineer-team lead salary
The average software engineer-team lead salary in the United States is $124,741 per year or $60 per hour. Software engineer-team lead salaries range between $93,000 and $166,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do software engineers-team lead rate their job?
Software engineer-team lead reviews
Work from home, reasonable salary and benefits
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
Updated January 8, 2025
