How To Become A Software Systems Engineer Lead: What It Is and Career Path

What is a software systems engineer lead and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Frank McCown Ph.D.,

John Russo

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a software systems engineer lead. For example, did you know that they make an average of $57.78 an hour? That's $120,173 a year! 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 systems engineer lead?

Frank McCown Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Harding University

The market is stable for software developers, despite the economic challenges created by the pandemic. Before accepting a job offer, talk to the company's employees through online meetings or email, and see what they think of the company. Do they enjoy their work? Are there opportunities to learn new technologies? How does the company treat their employees? There's a good chance you will be working remotely in your first job, so you will need to exercise a lot of self-discipline, be punctual for online meetings, do the work you've been assigned, and know when to ask questions when you get stuck. Expect a steeper-than-normal learning curve if you are working remotely instead of in an office.

ScoreSoftware Systems Engineer LeadUS Average

Salary

8.1

Avg. Salary $120,173

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.7

Growth rate 21%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 29.82%

Black or African American 4.57%

Hispanic or Latino 8.32%

Unknown 4.84%

White 52.28%

Gender

female 10.40%

male 89.60%

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

4.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.8

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a software systems engineer lead

Explore software systems engineer lead education requirements

Most common software systems engineer lead degrees

Bachelor's

73.0 %

Master's

19.6 %

Associate

4.9 %

Start to develop specific software systems engineer lead skills

Skills	Percentages
Java	12.09%
Software Development	7.87%
Python	6.46%
Cloud	5.94%
GIT	5.62%

Complete relevant software systems engineer lead training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New software systems engineers 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 systems engineer lead based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real software systems engineer lead resumes.

Research software systems engineer lead duties and responsibilities

Manage OS security patching and intrusion detection systems.
Used Java server technologies (Jini and RMI) to develop robust services.
Facilitate the creation and oversight of a database change management solution; moving application deployment closer toward automation and continues integration.
Administer DHCP and DNS servers by updating scopes, setting reservations, and any DISA specific blacklists.

Get software systems engineer lead experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a software systems engineer lead. The most common roles before becoming a software systems engineer lead include software engineer, senior software engineer team lead and systems engineer.

Apply for software systems engineer lead jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a software systems engineer 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

Average software systems engineer lead salary

The average software systems engineer lead salary in the United States is $120,173 per year or $58 per hour. Software systems engineer lead salaries range between $91,000 and $157,000 per year.

Average software systems engineer lead salary

$120,173 Yearly

$57.78 hourly

How do software systems engineers lead rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Software systems engineer lead reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2023

Pros

Problem solving and cutting edge technology - always learning and evolving my skill set

Cons

Still have to deal with people :)

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

I enjoyed working on creative problems that dealt with the user interface

Cons

I didn't like how technical it could become

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019

Pros

Designing a new system or making changes to an old one.

Cons

Compensation. Pay and Benefits do not match the time spent on a project. Alabama is the Worst state to live in for SOFTWARE ENGINEER Salaries. 40 to 50 percent less than our peer States.

What is a software systems engineer lead and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a software systems engineer lead?

Software systems engineer lead career paths

Key steps to become a software systems engineer lead

Explore software systems engineer lead education requirements

Most common software systems engineer lead degrees

Start to develop specific software systems engineer lead skills

Complete relevant software systems engineer lead training and internships

Research software systems engineer lead duties and responsibilities

Get software systems engineer lead experience

Apply for software systems engineer lead jobs

How did you land your first software systems engineer lead job

Average software systems engineer lead salary

How do software systems engineers lead rate their job?

Software systems engineer lead reviews