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Test system manager vs software test engineer

The differences between test system managers and software test engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a test system manager and a software test engineer. Additionally, a test system manager has an average salary of $111,460, which is higher than the $85,338 average annual salary of a software test engineer.

The top three skills for a test system manager include system test, system integration and test cases. The most important skills for a software test engineer are python, java, and test automation.

Test system manager vs software test engineer overview

Test System ManagerSoftware Test Engineer
Yearly salary$111,460$85,338
Hourly rate$53.59$41.03
Growth rate--
Number of jobs32,803243,382
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

Test system manager vs software test engineer salary

Test system managers and software test engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Test System ManagerSoftware Test Engineer
Average salary$111,460$85,338
Salary rangeBetween $85,000 And $145,000Between $63,000 And $115,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Mateo, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyZooxApple
Best paying industryTransportationTelecommunication

Differences between test system manager and software test engineer education

There are a few differences between a test system manager and a software test engineer in terms of educational background:

Test System ManagerSoftware Test Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringComputer Science
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Test system manager vs software test engineer demographics

Here are the differences between test system managers' and software test engineers' demographics:

Test System ManagerSoftware Test Engineer
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 81.8% Female, 18.2%Male, 68.6% Female, 31.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between test system manager and software test engineer duties and responsibilities

Test system manager example responsibilities.

  • Construct and manage a complete VMware environment for testing multiple Openstack instances of different configurations.
  • Key contributor in getting CMMI level 3 and ISO 9001 certification for 4D.
  • Spearhead QA process changes in transitioning from hard copy to soft copy test case development/execution process.
  • Develop business processes for quality assurance software lifecycle, customer software problem resolution and software bug tracking.
  • Perform accessibility testing for Hewlett-Packard's HTML pages.
  • Develop, document, and implement improved software validation processes and documentation system in accordance with the FDA guidelines.

Software test engineer example responsibilities.

  • Balance risk, regulatory impact and business needs to achieve efficient and effective solutions for QC process improvement.
  • Manage entire Linux virtual machine farm utilizing KVM and Virt-Manager
  • Manage test case defect management reporting utilizing JIRA and Bugzilla
  • Develop UI automation test infrastructure using python and selenium.
  • Design test scripts using Java and participate in automation code-reviews.
  • Involve in integrating the test suites to Jenkins to execute them automatically after every successful deployment.
  • Show more

Test system manager vs software test engineer skills

Common test system manager skills
  • System Test, 9%
  • System Integration, 6%
  • Test Cases, 5%
  • Test Procedures, 5%
  • QA, 5%
  • Test Scripts, 5%
Common software test engineer skills
  • Python, 9%
  • Java, 7%
  • Test Automation, 6%
  • C++, 6%
  • C #, 6%
  • Regression, 4%

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