Unix systems administrator vs systems administrator lead

The differences between unix systems administrators and systems administrator leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a unix systems administrator and a systems administrator lead. Additionally, a systems administrator lead has an average salary of $99,956, which is higher than the $87,936 average annual salary of a unix systems administrator.

The top three skills for a unix systems administrator include production servers, solaris and database. The most important skills for a systems administrator lead are linux, project management, and windows server.

Unix systems administrator vs systems administrator lead overview

	Unix Systems Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Yearly salary	$87,936	$99,956
Hourly rate	$42.28	$48.06
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	110,185	132,285
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a unix systems administrator do?

UNIX system administrators install, configure, and maintain the UNIX systems of organizations. The administrators are in charge of the troubleshooting of server errors. They install new system hardware for their respective organizations and respond to the issues raised by the users. It is part of their job to monitor the network's performance. Usually, they are working in an office using UNIX multiuser operating system. They supervise the execution of data conversion projects such as database hardware replacements.

What does a systems administrator lead do?

A systems administrator lead is responsible for planning, designing, and implementing procedures for critical enterprise systems. Typical duties of systems administrators include managing the day-to-day operations of a company's computer and network systems, developing new application and system implementation plans, and establishing guidelines for installing and managing the organization's computer operating systems. In addition, you are expected to ensure the security of computer systems by preventing unauthorized use, user abuse, and acts of nature.

Unix systems administrator vs systems administrator lead salary

Unix systems administrators and systems administrator leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Unix Systems Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Average salary	$87,936	$99,956
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $119,000	Between $77,000 And $129,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	PayPal	Kabam
Best paying industry	Finance	Telecommunication

Differences between unix systems administrator and systems administrator lead education

There are a few differences between a unix systems administrator and a systems administrator lead in terms of educational background:

	Unix Systems Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Stanford University

Unix systems administrator vs systems administrator lead demographics

Here are the differences between unix systems administrators' and systems administrator leads' demographics:

	Unix Systems Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8%	Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 13.8% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.7% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between unix systems administrator and systems administrator lead duties and responsibilities

Unix systems administrator example responsibilities.

Manage LUN assignments from Shark/Hitachi SAN through the fiber switches.
Manage system kernel settings to boost performance base on root cause analysis for performance issues.
Manage and maintain local area network (TCP/IP), consisting of 2 NCR 3430 servers and 130+ client workstations.
Help automate server and storage provisioning.
Manage resources for zones using Solaris 10container technology.
Manage AWS services and provide redundancy for internal corporate systems.

Systems administrator lead example responsibilities.

Manage all Citrix user connections and issues, print network, server environment and supplies.
Manage printers on the print servers and re-serve IP addresses for devices from the DHCP servers.
Manage software development group SharePoint portal.
Save company many hours of manual testing and developing by engineering Java applications to automate tedious tasks.
Manage development, manufacturing, test and delivery of custom broadband RF electronic test systems for military and aerospace customers.
Perform day-to-day management of system applications and services (NTP, DNS, LDAP, etc .).

Unix systems administrator vs systems administrator lead skills

Common unix systems administrator skills

Production Servers, 8%
Solaris, 5%
Database, 4%
SAN, 4%
System Administration, 4%
Troubleshoot, 4%

Common systems administrator lead skills

Linux, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Windows Server, 5%
System Performance, 5%
Technical Support, 5%
Database, 5%

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Unix Systems Administrator
Unix Systems Administrator vs Systems Administrator Lead

Updated January 8, 2025

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