What is a lead technician and how to become one

Q: How long does it take to become a Lead Technician?

It takes 5 years of professional experience to become a lead technician. That is the time it takes to learn specific lead technician skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 8 to 10 years years to become a lead technician.

Q: How much does a lead technician make?

A lead technician makes an average salary of $82,000 a year ($39.76 an hour). However, this can range from as little as $67,000 a year to as high as $109,000 a year. Factors such as location and industry impact how much a lead technician can make.

Q: What are the responsibilities of a lead technician?

The responsibilities of a lead technician include overseeing programs and organizing teams of technicians. This may include instructing and offering guidance and directives while being involved in one or more activities.

Q: What does a pharmacy lead technician do?

A pharmacy lead technician does the work responsible for regulating, directing, and executing expert technical pharmacy assistance, technical and clerical pharmacy. A lead pharmacy technician must secure and effectively oversee the administration of all pharmaceutical services to patients, nurses, consultants, and other multidisciplinary healthcare units.

Q: What qualifications do you need to be a technician?

The qualifications needed to become a technician are, at minimum, a high school diploma or equivalent and certification. Additional education and experience may be required and are typically desirable.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Craig Tidwell Ph.D.,

John Russo

Lead technicians are experienced professionals who supervise a team of technicians in various industries, such as manufacturing, technology, or construction. They are responsible for overseeing the installation, maintenance, and repair of equipment, as well as ensuring compliance with safety regulations and quality standards. Lead technicians will also provide training and guidance to their team members, troubleshoot technical issues, and collaborate with other departments to improve processes and procedures.

What general advice would you give to a Lead Technician?

Craig Tidwell Ph.D.

Professor/Program Manager, Seminole State College of Florida

Students who are graduating with a degree in computer and information systems should focus on being lifelong learners. The most challenging, and sometimes frustrating, aspect of a career in information technology is that it is always changing. Employers are also looking for employees that can work well with others, especially in teams. Having a good understanding of the development and design process, and project management (DevOps) is a plus. Currently, there is a high demand for graduates with cloud and information security knowledge and skills.

ScoreLead TechnicianUS Average

Salary

7.1

Avg. Salary $90,615

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.7

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.41%

Asian 15.13%

Black or African American 10.41%

Hispanic or Latino 15.14%

Unknown 5.30%

White 53.61%

Gender

female 16.65%

male 83.35%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress Level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.5

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.4

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Lead Technician?

Pros

Greater responsibility and autonomy
Opportunity to develop leadership skills
Opportunity to train and mentor junior technicians
Chance to solve complex technical problems
Opportunity to build relationships with clients

Cons

Longer work hours and on-call availability
Greater accountability for project success or failure
Need to balance technical work with administrative duties
Risk of exposure to hazardous materials or dangerous equipment
Possibility of being called in for emergency repairs outside of regular work hours

Key steps to become a lead technician

Explore lead technician education requirements

Most common lead technician degrees

Bachelor's

50.2 %

Associate

17.5 %

Master's

13.9 %

Start to develop specific lead technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Java	10.21%
Architecture	6.73%
Digital Transformation	6.29%
Customer Service	5.95%
Database	3.73%

Complete relevant lead technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a lead technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead technician resumes.

Gain additional lead technician certifications

Lead technician certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific lead technician certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for lead technicians include Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) and Project Management Professional (PMP).

More About Certifications

Research lead technician duties and responsibilities

Manage and support the Cisco base corporate remote access VPN solution.
Manage the third party IP provider relationship and implement all the bridges between AXI4 and internal buses.
Used JIRA to manage the product backlog, tasks assignments, project burn-down rate and for velocity tracking purposes.
Manage product test support of new designs used for testing, write technical documentation in HTML improving department processes and procedures.

Get lead technician experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a lead technician. The most common roles before becoming a lead technician include senior software engineer, software engineer team lead and technician.

Prepare your lead technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lead technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a lead technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Lead Technician Resume templates

Build a professional Lead Technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Lead Technician resume.

Apply for lead technician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a lead technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do lead technicians rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Lead Technician reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Pros

As the picture depicts, solving problems is fun.

Cons

It is very difficult to make everyone happy, everyday.

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

Love taking something that can't be used and giving it life again...

Cons

The pay is too low for the experience one must have...

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019

Pros

i love solving computer problems, assembling and programming , networking, performing data recovery and backups, i love opening computer motherboard and fix those spoiled chips and capacitors.

Cons

sometimes i get tired of working on small computer issue for long time due to lack of equipment and i get bored with opening printer drums, refilling cartridges makes a dirty technician.

What is a lead technician and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Lead Technician?

What are the pros and cons of being a Lead Technician?

Lead Technician career paths

Key steps to become a lead technician

Explore lead technician education requirements

Most common lead technician degrees

Start to develop specific lead technician skills

Complete relevant lead technician training and internships

Gain additional lead technician certifications

Research lead technician duties and responsibilities

Get lead technician experience

Prepare your lead technician resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Lead Technician Resume templates

Apply for lead technician jobs

How Did You Land Your First Lead Technician Job

Average lead technician salary

How do lead technicians rate their job?

Lead Technician reviews

Lead Technician FAQs

How long does it take to become a Lead Technician?

How much does a lead technician make?

What are the responsibilities of a lead technician?

What does a pharmacy lead technician do?

What qualifications do you need to be a technician?

Search for lead technician jobs

Lead Technician jobs by state