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The differences between senior project engineers and lead engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior project engineer and a lead engineer. Additionally, a senior project engineer has an average salary of $97,803, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for a senior project engineer include project management, construction management and CAD. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Senior Project Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly Salary | $97,803 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $47.02 | $40.83 |
| Growth Rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number Of Jobs | 146,838 | 301,777 |
| Job Satisfaction | - | - |
| Most Common Degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average Age | 41 | 41 |
| Years Of Experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior project engineer is responsible for monitoring the project team's overall process and operations from conceptualization until completion, ensuring the adherence to the clients' specifications, within the budget's goals, and the required deadline. Senior project engineers regularly communicate with the client regarding updates or necessary adjustments. They develop strategic procedures to finish the project efficiently by running diagnostic tests and troubleshooting discrepancies. A senior project engineer must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the team's performance and provide assistance when necessary.
A lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, assessing risks, monitoring the budget, coordinating with clients and architects, and even training workers. Furthermore, as a lead engineer, it is crucial to conduct regular inspections to ensure the quality of work and maintain a safe environment for all workers.
Senior project engineers and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Project Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average Salary | $97,803 | $84,927 |
| Salary Range | Between $77,000 And $124,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest Paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest Paying State | Maryland | Hawaii |
| Best Paying Company | Amazon | Meta |
| Best Paying Industry | Automotive | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior project engineer and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Project Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Most Common Degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most Common Major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most Common College | Michigan Technological University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior project engineers' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Senior Project Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average Age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender Ratio | Male, 84.4% Female, 15.6% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| Race Ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 14.8% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |