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The differences between technical support managers and technical support engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a technical support manager and a technical support engineer. Additionally, a technical support manager has an average salary of $106,760, which is higher than the $85,716 average annual salary of a technical support engineer.
The top three skills for a technical support manager include customer service, customer satisfaction and project management. The most important skills for a technical support engineer are technical support, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Technical Support Manager | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $106,760 | $85,716 |
| Hourly rate | $51.33 | $41.21 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 149,977 | 184,542 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Technical Support Manager is responsible for supervising the overall technical aspects of an organization to ensure efficient business solutions to support functions and operations. Technical support managers evaluate technical networks and systems, coordinating with the engineering team to identify techniques that would maximize the staff's productivity and enhance operational performance. They also review resolution reports and handle resource allocations to execute business plans according to company requirements and specifications. A Technical Support Manager must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in identifying process gaps and upgrading system infrastructures.
A technical support engineer is responsible for responding to customer issues, providing immediate resolutions to their system issues through remote assistance. Technical support engineers must have strong knowledge of software and hardware applications to diagnose system defects and process troubleshooting. They also assist customers with the installation of programs and updates to improve system performance, escalating high-level concerns to appropriate internal technology teams. A technical support engineer must have strong command with technical systems, as well as excellent communication and time-management skills to understand clients' issues while documenting procedures.
Technical support managers and technical support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Manager | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $106,760 | $85,716 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $148,000 | Between $61,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | Novato, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | BitGo | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical support manager and a technical support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Manager | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical support managers' and technical support engineers' demographics:
| Technical Support Manager | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 11.1% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 15.0% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |