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The differences between technical managers and engineering technician leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a technical manager, becoming an engineering technician lead takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a technical manager has an average salary of $116,619, which is higher than the $107,373 average annual salary of an engineering technician lead.
The top three skills for a technical manager include project management, infrastructure and architecture. The most important skills for an engineering technician lead are java, python, and C++.
| Technical Manager | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $116,619 | $107,373 |
| Hourly rate | $56.07 | $51.62 |
| Growth rate | 8% | - |
| Number of jobs | 116,732 | 102,504 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 40 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
A technical manager is responsible for maintaining the company's information systems database and analyzing technology system matters to ensure its efficiency and accuracy in supporting business operations. Technical managers perform network checks regularly to assess any possible malfunctions that might compromise the company's cybersecurity. They carefully analyze business and clients' specifications on working with systems integration, responding to end-users' concerns and inquiries. A technical manager must have excellent knowledge of the information technology systems industry, as well as a strong command on network codes to conduct adjustments and manage network infrastructure.
Engineering technician leads are technical professionals who lead a team to design and build prototypes of a planned product or equipment. These technician leads are required to provide advice and technical support to the engineering team to resolve technical issues as well as oversee system maintenance and enhancement. They must work with both product development and manufacturing engineers to improve the existing manufacturing processes. Engineering technician leads must also participate in activities related to maintenance and troubleshooting of equipment.
Technical managers and engineering technician leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Manager | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Average salary | $116,619 | $107,373 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $161,000 | Between $80,000 And $142,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | A.T. Kearney | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical manager and an engineering technician lead in terms of educational background:
| Technical Manager | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical managers' and engineering technician leads' demographics:
| Technical Manager | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Average age | 40 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 14% | 8% |