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The differences between team lead engineers and senior engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a team lead engineer and a senior engineer. Additionally, a team lead engineer has an average salary of $114,867, which is higher than the $108,743 average annual salary of a senior engineer.
The top three skills for a team lead engineer include python, architecture and java. The most important skills for a senior engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Team Lead Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $114,867 | $108,743 |
| Hourly rate | $55.22 | $52.28 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 235,155 | 343,200 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A team leads engineer is in charge of spearheading and overseeing the efforts of an engineering team, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Although the duties may depend on one's industry of employment, it typically includes designing and developing systems according to project requirements, setting objectives and construction guidelines, delegating tasks, managing budgets and schedules, and monitoring the workflow, performing corrective measures as needed. Furthermore, as a team leads engineer, it is essential to encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while enforcing the company's safety standards and regulations.
A senior engineer is responsible for overseeing all operations within a designated area. With years of experience and expertise, a senior engineer may take charge of establishing goals, deadlines, and budgets for a particular project. They must devise and implement strategies that would improve the quality of workflow and deliver significant results. Furthermore, a senior manager must also supervise a team of skilled engineers, leading them in the joint effort to reach the company's vision and mission, all while adhering to the safety standards and regulations.
Team lead engineers and senior engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Team Lead Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average salary | $114,867 | $108,743 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $156,000 | Between $82,000 And $144,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Roku |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a team lead engineer and a senior engineer in terms of educational background:
| Team Lead Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between team lead engineers' and senior engineers' demographics:
| Team Lead Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 14.5% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |