How To Become A Section Leader: What It Is and Career Path

What is a section leader and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Whether your firm is small or big, managing the whole system is not a one man job. Therefore, you have to divide it into sections, and for every section you need a Leader. They are the ones wholly responsible for the smooth functioning of the departments under them. And for taking on this hectic job, you will surely get handsomely paid. If you opt to be a section leader, you have you work 43 hours a week with an average income of $47. This will make your annual income as high as $98,135.

Although, to become a Section Leader, your skills and experiences are given preference. But that doesn't mean you don't need qualifications. Section leaders should be highly skilled, experienced, and have a good grip on knowledge related to the concerned field.

Being a Section Leader, you will receive a comfortable office to plan targets, implement them, and question your subordinates about their assigned jobs. You may not be the first individual to enter the office but usually are the last to leave.

ScoreSection LeaderUS Average

Salary

7.3

Avg. Salary $93,587

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

4.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.71%

Asian 5.18%

Black or African American 12.89%

Hispanic or Latino 16.50%

Unknown 4.17%

White 60.54%

Gender

female 26.99%

male 73.01%

Age - 47

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 - 47

Stress Level

8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.1

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.3

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a section leader

Explore section leader education requirements

Most common section leader degrees

Bachelor's

58.9 %

High School Diploma

15.1 %

Associate

14.6 %

Start to develop specific section leader skills

Skills	Percentages
Safety Procedures	23.76%
Combat	11.32%
Non	7.76%
Weapons Systems	7.58%
Preventive Maintenance	5.17%

Complete relevant section leader training and internships

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

Research section leader duties and responsibilities

Manage 3 team leaders and 40 plus associates using TPM philosophies.
Manage the day to day operations of government regulate and non regulate laboratories to ensure compliance.
Work closely with QA dept and use of color sentry and PMS color books to accomplish good end product.
Ensure assigned equipment are maintained and serviceable for accomplish all combat evacuation during OIF.

Get section leader experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a section leader. The most common roles before becoming a section leader include team leader, squad leader team lead and internship.

Prepare your section leader resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your section leader 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 section leader resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Section Leader Resume templates

Build a professional Section Leader 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 Section Leader resume.

Apply for section leader jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a section leader 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 section leaders rate their job?