How To Become A Lead Test Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a lead test technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A lead test technician is an individual who manages a team of staff that test products or applications. They offer detailed reports of their findings to engineers, product developers and management. Depending on the industry, these individuals manage the design and development of test plans and are required to use appropriate test equipment during the testing process. These professionals also conduct maintenance of equipment or applications to ensure functionality and quality and manage testing staff duties.

A lead test technician typically works in an office environment during a normal workweek, and occasional travel may be required. These professionals should possess strong leadership, communication, organizational and analytical skills, and ensure that all products and services meet company and customer quality standards.

Although an advanced degree is not a necessary requirement for a career in this field, a lead test technician should have a working knowledge of the testing procedures and protocols, as well as possessing strong computer and writing skills. Depending on the industry, most lead test technicians make up to $77,000 per year.

ScoreLead Test TechnicianUS Average

Salary

6.4

Avg. Salary $81,566

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

4.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 11.99%

Black or African American 6.24%

Hispanic or Latino 8.82%

Unknown 4.70%

White 67.73%

Gender

female 29.73%

male 70.27%

Age - 43

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 - 43

Stress Level

5.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.1

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.0

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a lead test technician

Explore lead test technician education requirements

Most common lead test technician degrees

Bachelor's

61.1 %

Associate

17.5 %

Master's

12.9 %

Start to develop specific lead test technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Java	6.75%
QA	5.98%
Test Strategy	5.90%
Selenium	5.07%
Test Cases	5.06%

Complete relevant lead test technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead test 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 test technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead test technician resumes.

Research lead test technician duties and responsibilities

Track and update the progress of the project documents in SharePoint and manage the metrics.
Develop, manage a high performance, distribute QA organization - including testing management at remote locations.
Develop API testing tools and test suites to improve testing accuracy, automation and performance.
Used SOAPUI to test the webServices.

Get lead test technician experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a lead test technician. The most common roles before becoming a lead test technician include quality assurance lead, software test engineer team lead and test engineer.

Prepare your lead test technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lead test 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 test 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 Test Technician Resume templates

Build a professional Lead Test 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 Test Technician resume.

Apply for lead test technician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a lead test 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 test technicians rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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Lead Test Technician reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019

Pros

New field to work with compassion.

Cons

Low pay structure as compared to the efforts put in.