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The differences between test design engineers and lead design 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 test design engineer and a lead design engineer. Additionally, a lead design engineer has an average salary of $108,490, which is higher than the $88,403 average annual salary of a test design engineer.
The top three skills for a test design engineer include test equipment, RF and python. The most important skills for a lead design engineer are CAD, project management, and lead design.
| Test Design Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,403 | $108,490 |
| Hourly rate | $42.50 | $52.16 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 125,776 | 118,073 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A Test Design Engineer's job is to critically check all materials, processes, electrical, and mechanical systems to ensure that customers get high-quality products. As a Test Design Engineer, your job is to run tests to check the quality of products throughout the production cycle. This is done by checking the various components and features of these products to identify and fix technical issues easily. Your duties will also include checking the raw materials used for production, creating test environments and analyzing the results, and trying to ascertain the root cause of the malfunctions.
A Lead Design Engineer produces design solutions that can be purchased, installed, and commissioned effectively. They are also responsible for the cost-effectiviness and safety of new designs.
Test design engineers and lead design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Test Design Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,403 | $108,490 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $115,000 | Between $82,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Agriculture |
There are a few differences between a test design engineer and a lead design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Test Design Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between test design engineers' and lead design engineers' demographics:
| Test Design Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.2% Female, 12.8% | Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.2% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 15.5% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |