How To Become A Software Engineering Supervisor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a software engineering supervisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Libby Toping,

John Russo

The average software engineering supervisor salary is $120,581. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an computer science major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a software engineering supervisor. Software engineering supervisors with a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 21% and produce 284,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a software engineering supervisor?

Libby Toping

Engineer intern, Crafton Tull

It has definitely been a unique time to start my first job. COVID-19 has caused many of my peers to struggle to find a job, so I think it has caused me to recognize how thankful I am to have a job that I enjoy working and that allows me to improve my community, even in the midst of a pandemic. There are certainly struggles with virtual meetings and mask-wearing, but learning to be flexible and adaptable are skills that I think will make me a better engineer in the long run!

ScoreSoftware Engineering SupervisorUS Average

Salary

8.1

Avg. Salary $120,581

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.0

Growth rate 21%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 28.09%

Black or African American 4.56%

Hispanic or Latino 8.32%

Unknown 4.84%

White 54.03%

Gender

female 26.78%

male 73.22%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

4.0

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a software engineering supervisor

Explore software engineering supervisor education requirements

Most common software engineering supervisor degrees

Bachelor's

62.0 %

Master's

16.3 %

Associate

14.4 %

Start to develop specific software engineering supervisor skills

Skills	Percentages
Software Development	16.53%
C++	12.01%
Java	8.20%
Linux	4.68%
Architecture	4.66%

Complete relevant software engineering supervisor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New software engineering supervisors 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 engineering supervisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real software engineering supervisor resumes.

Research software engineering supervisor duties and responsibilities

Lead team in development of a custom reservoir simulation data mining and visualization tool.
Provide support with debugging issues.
Execute test automation with PERL and shell scripting.
Work closely with product management, QA, and product support.

Apply for software engineering supervisor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a software engineering supervisor 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

Average software engineering supervisor salary

The average software engineering supervisor salary in the United States is $120,581 per year or $58 per hour. Software engineering supervisor salaries range between $93,000 and $155,000 per year.

Average software engineering supervisor salary

$120,581 Yearly

$57.97 hourly

What is a software engineering supervisor and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a software engineering supervisor?

Software engineering supervisor career paths

Key steps to become a software engineering supervisor

Explore software engineering supervisor education requirements

Most common software engineering supervisor degrees

Start to develop specific software engineering supervisor skills

Complete relevant software engineering supervisor training and internships

Research software engineering supervisor duties and responsibilities

Apply for software engineering supervisor jobs

How did you land your first software engineering supervisor job

Average software engineering supervisor salary

How do software engineering supervisors rate their job?