Thinking about the future of your engineering career? One of the positions you should take time to consider is that of lead engineer. This role is particularly noteworthy because it is one of the engineering positions where the exact role and responsibilities can vary greatly depending on the industry and the company.
Generally, you can think of the lead engineer role as a sort of hybrid position between the technical and management career tracks. Most lead engineer positions will have more team management and leadership responsibilities compared to a senior engineer but will also be expected to participate in hands-on technical work, unlike higher-level positions such as chief engineer or a VP of engineering.
Lead engineers need to be able to balance their own responsibilities as developers with the responsibilities of leading a team — or what technology leader Patrick Kua defines as shifting between a maker mode and a multiplier mode.
If this sounds like an interesting move for your career, then you should learn more about how to become a lead engineer. Here’s what you need to know.
What Is a Lead Engineer?
A lead engineer is an engineering manager or team leader who takes on a supervisory role within a specific project or team. Generally, they are responsible for making technical decisions and overseeing projects, as well as managing the day-to-day activities of a development team.
The exact position within a company hierarchy will depend on the size and structure of the organization, but generally, lead engineers oversee other managerial positions such as senior engineers, project managers and tech leads. Lead engineers report to more executive-level positions such as director of engineering, chief engineer or chief technical officer.
In most positions, lead engineers have to maintain a balance between hands-on development work and more administrative tasks such as scheduling, planning and ensuring that project milestones are met. They may be responsible for conducting regular inspections to test the quality of work to ensure that the technical resources align with the project goals and deadlines.
Lead engineers often play a vital role in coordinating with stakeholders, serving as ambassadors for their teams and tech stack.
What Does a Lead Engineer Do?
The specific responsibilities of a lead engineer will depend on company size and structure. In a smaller company, the responsibilities may be more analogous to that of a senior engineer, working closely and directly with a small team. In such situations, you may be asked to take on additional administrative or human resources tasks, such as hiring decisions, pay discussion and performance reviews.
Larger companies may have more defined responsibilities and a clear chain of command. While you may also be responsible for some administrative duties in a larger company, it’s more likely that you’ll be expected to supervise and coordinate the efforts across different engineering teams.
Primary duties and responsibilities of a lead engineer can include:
- Overseeing a company’s operating system. This often includes the equipment, technology and infrastructure, ensuring that all technical aspects are up-to-date and functioning efficiently to support the company’s objectives.
- Supervising the progress of operations and the performance of their teams. Lead engineers monitor day-to-day activities to ensure everything runs smoothly and address any issues that arise promptly. They also implement strategies to enhance productivity and efficiency within the organization.
- Managing offshore teams. If the company employs offshore or remote teams, it may be the responsibility of the lead engineer to communicate and coordinate with them to ensure that their projects align with the company’s goals and standards.
- Recommending new technologies and equipment. This involves staying updated with the latest industry trends and assessing the potential impact of new tools and systems.
- Assessing risk. Some positions or industries may require identifying potential hazards or potential issues, analyzing their impact and developing mitigation strategies to minimize risks.
- Monitoring budgets. The lead engineer may have oversight over the budget for engineering projects. This includes ensuring that expenditures are within the allocated budget and finding cost-effective solutions when necessary.
- Training employees. The lead engineer may be expected to provide guidance, develop training programs and ensure that all employees are skilled and knowledgeable about the latest technologies and practices.
What Is the Difference Between a Lead Engineer, Engineering Manager and Senior Engineer?
Generally lead engineers will oversee senior engineers and may report directly to an engineering manager. However, it’s important to understand that different companies will have different senior-level or management positions, and each company may define these responsibilities differently.
For the most part, these positions will share much of the same technical background but will require different levels of technical skills and the application of managerial or administrative skill sets.
- Senior engineers are more focused on completing complex engineering tasks and are expected to solve high-level technical problems. They are skilled in coding and system design and often work independently on projects. Senior engineers may assist in mentoring junior team members while handling individual tasks.
- Lead engineers take on a more supervisory role within a specific project or team. Though they still work on technical projects, they also shoulder larger responsibilities including project management and team coordination.
- Engineering managers are even less hands-on with engineering tasks to take more responsibility for the team’s day-to-day operations and efficiency. An engineering manager may undergo training in management practices or business administration to learn how to better direct a team or handle the business side of a project.
Get a full, in-depth look at different engineering leadership positions in our companion post: Senior Engineer vs. Lead Engineer vs. Tech Lead Explained.
How Much Does a Lead Engineer Earn?
The exact salary for a lead engineering position will depend not only on your level of experience and education but also on your industry, company and geographic location. As of June 2024:
- Zippia estimates the average lead engineer salary in the U.S. to be $84,927.
- Salary.com estimates a range of $136,646 to $168,643.
- ZipRecruiter lists an estimated salary of $123,784.
What Skills Are Needed to Be a Lead Engineer?
As mentioned above, lead engineers need a balance of skills to be effective. They’re still expected to apply their technical knowledge to work on projects and may actually be called on to solve issues or mentor more junior engineers. However, they also need a selection of soft skills that can allow them to effectively lead their engineering team.
Essential skills include:
- Leadership — The ability to set clear expectations and agree on specific, measurable and outcome-based goals. True leadership is knowing how to inspire, motivate and coordinate a team of developers to see a project through, no matter the circumstances.
- Strategic thinking — This is the ability to develop a long-term vision to anticipate and plan for future technological developments. Also, a grasp of basic project planning/management skills is essential to efficiently manage teams and projects.
- Technical ability — These will be skills equivalent to a senior developer or engineer, usually including proficiency in programming languages such as Java, Python, C++ and C#, as well as experience with database management, deployment and troubleshooting.
- Technical knowledge — Similarly, a lead engineer needs to have a strong understanding of system architecture and documentation, as well as familiarity with concepts such as SQL, DevOps, Linux and major platforms such as Azure or AWS.
- Problem solving and critical thinking — Critical thinking skills and proactive decision making are essential in solving problems and resolving conflicts. Tactical thinking enables the lead engineer to determine what direction the team should be going.
- Communication — Knowing how to summarize technical work to non-technical stakeholders and placate the concerns of non-engineers can give your team the space and support to succeed. Additionally, it’s vital to know how to perform one-on-ones with the members of the team.
What Qualifications Are Needed to Become a Lead Engineer?
As a senior-level position, the lead engineering role requires significant qualifications and experience.
- Degrees Most positions will ask that you have earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a specialization in the company’s industry. Many positions will prefer, or even require, an advanced degree such as a master’s of engineering or a master’s of engineering management and leadership degree. Earning an advanced degree helps to demonstrate your mastery of specific skills and showcase your understanding of technical management and leadership concepts.
- Certifications Certifications from recognized institutions and organizations can showcase your experience in management and technical expertise. Relevant certification for lead engineers can include:
- Experience While the amount and type of experience you need will vary by position, generally the lead engineer positions will require between four to six years of work experience in the field and roughly three to five years as a senior engineer or project manager. If you’ve never held a leadership position before, some positions may also ask that you undergo a year or two of on-the-job training.
Who Is Hiring for this Position?
Lead engineering positions can be found in many different areas, from private enterprises to government agencies and research facilities. You’ll find open positions across all engineering fields, for engineering firms, manufacturing companies, tech startups and consulting agencies.
A review of different job aggregator sites in June 2024 found listings for lead engineer positions from companies such as:
| – Power Portfolio Nuclear – Disney Entertainment – GE Power Portfolio – Hansa – JPMorganChase – Lockheed Martin – Federal Aviation Administration | – Siemens Energy – Canopie – Capital One – GE Aerospace – Accenture – Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
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