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The differences between team lead engineers and staff 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 staff engineer. Additionally, a team lead engineer has an average salary of $114,867, which is higher than the $107,530 average annual salary of a staff engineer.
The top three skills for a team lead engineer include python, architecture and java. The most important skills for a staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Team Lead Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $114,867 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $55.22 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 235,155 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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.
Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations. Other duties include designing and developing machinery, tools, and engines, solving design problems, and building the manufacturing equipment needed to create their products.
Team lead engineers and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Team Lead Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $114,867 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $156,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Flexport |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a team lead engineer and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Team Lead Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between team lead engineers' and staff engineers' demographics:
| Team Lead Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| 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, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |