Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between staff software engineers and lead engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a staff software engineer, becoming a lead engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a staff software engineer has an average salary of $136,653, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for a staff software engineer include java, python and software development. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Staff Software Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $136,653 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $65.70 | $40.83 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 371,213 | 301,777 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A Staff Software Engineer is responsible for developing, maintaining, and repairing company software for maximum efficiency and usability. They instruct and mentor their team members in software development techniques and cloud development.
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.
Staff software engineers and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Software Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $136,653 | $84,927 |
| Salary range | Between $100,000 And $186,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a staff software engineer and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Staff Software Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between staff software engineers' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Staff Software Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.0% Female, 17.0% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 33.5% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 5% |