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The differences between technical testing engineers and engineering technician leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a technical testing engineer, becoming an engineering technician lead takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an engineering technician lead has an average salary of $107,373, which is higher than the $88,367 average annual salary of a technical testing engineer.
The top three skills for a technical testing engineer include test results, schematics and test procedures. The most important skills for an engineering technician lead are java, python, and C++.
| Technical Testing Engineer | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $88,367 | $107,373 |
| Hourly rate | $42.48 | $51.62 |
| Growth rate | 10% | - |
| Number of jobs | 100,815 | 102,504 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A technical testing engineer is responsible for inspecting and reporting the quality of products across the production cycle. You will thoroughly check procedures, materials, and electrical and mechanical systems to produce high-quality products for customers. Your main job is to test various components and features of the product to identify and resolve technical issues. Other duties include organizing and conducting training for junior team members, creating test environments, and identifying the root cause of technical issues.
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 testing engineers and engineering technician leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Testing Engineer | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Average salary | $88,367 | $107,373 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $125,000 | Between $80,000 And $142,000 |
| Highest paying City | Issaquah, WA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical testing engineer and an engineering technician lead in terms of educational background:
| Technical Testing Engineer | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical testing engineers' and engineering technician leads' demographics:
| Technical Testing Engineer | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 11.8% White, 67.1% 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 | 4% | 8% |