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The differences between team lead engineers and senior project 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 project engineer. Additionally, a team lead engineer has an average salary of $114,867, which is higher than the $97,803 average annual salary of a senior project engineer.
The top three skills for a team lead engineer include python, architecture and java. The most important skills for a senior project engineer are project management, construction management, and CAD.
| Team Lead Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $114,867 | $97,803 |
| Hourly rate | $55.22 | $47.02 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 235,155 | 146,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| 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 project engineer is responsible for monitoring the project team's overall process and operations from conceptualization until completion, ensuring the adherence to the clients' specifications, within the budget's goals, and the required deadline. Senior project engineers regularly communicate with the client regarding updates or necessary adjustments. They develop strategic procedures to finish the project efficiently by running diagnostic tests and troubleshooting discrepancies. A senior project engineer must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the team's performance and provide assistance when necessary.
Team lead engineers and senior project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Team Lead Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $114,867 | $97,803 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $156,000 | Between $77,000 And $124,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Meta | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a team lead engineer and a senior project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Team Lead Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between team lead engineers' and senior project engineers' demographics:
| Team Lead Engineer | Senior Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% | Male, 84.4% Female, 15.6% |
| 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, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 14.8% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |