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The differences between vice presidents, software development and lead software developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a vice president, software development and a lead software developer. Additionally, a vice president, software development has an average salary of $137,241, which is higher than the $115,072 average annual salary of a lead software developer.
The top three skills for a vice president, software development include cloud, java and QA. The most important skills for a lead software developer are java, architecture, and application development.
| Vice President, Software Development | Lead Software Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $137,241 | $115,072 |
| Hourly rate | $65.98 | $55.32 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 304,247 | 309,029 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The vice president of software development handles all efforts put into software development and follows subsequent sales processes for the organization they work in. They have a ton of duties to perform, but foremost on the list is to routinely conduct research into new technology and contribute ideas that will improve productivity. They have a few supervisory duties to perform, like managing multiple employees' teams, as well as administrative duties, like delegating tasks and creating teams.
A lead software developer is responsible for creating and designing software applications and systems to support business functions and client requirements. Lead software developers analyze specifications to build efficient applications, conduct multiple quality testing, and enhance the user's interface. They also coordinate with the design engineers to modify and improve the features of existing software applications for optimal performance. A lead software developer must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in considering the current technology trends to meet demands.
Vice presidents, software development and lead software developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Vice President, Software Development | Lead Software Developer | |
| Average salary | $137,241 | $115,072 |
| Salary range | Between $104,000 And $179,000 | Between $87,000 And $151,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a vice president, software development and a lead software developer in terms of educational background:
| Vice President, Software Development | Lead Software Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between vice presidents, software development' and lead software developers' demographics:
| Vice President, Software Development | Lead Software Developer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.1% Female, 9.9% | Male, 86.5% Female, 13.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 27.6% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |