Software Engineering Manager vs Tech Lead: Key Differences

Last updated by Nitin Grover on Aug 30, 2024 at 05:03 PM | Reading time: 8 minutes

Software Engineering Manager vs Tech lead: Role of a Software Engineering Manager

Average Salary: $1,44,844 per annum
Salary Range (Lowest to Highest): $99,243 - $200,000 per annum
Source: Glassdoor.com

Software Engineering managers usually get promoted after themselves excelling first as members of a software development team and then as tech leads. They oversee, guide and lead engineering teams within organizations. Some of their core responsibilities include:

Inter-team and inter-department coordination: Engineering managers coordinate and manage the activities of teams to ensure that projects are delivered on time and within budget. They also collaborate with other departments to ensure that the projects align with larger business objectives.

People management: Engineering managers have strong people management, problem solving, and interpersonal communication skills. They are excellent orators who clearly communicate project-specific requirements to teams, mentor team members, and resolve interpersonal conflicts. In addition to team management, they also handle matters like hiring, performance reviews, and career development of software engineers.

Resource management: Engineering managers ensure that their teams have access to tools and resources necessary to perform their tasks efficiently. This may include providing software tools, hardware, and networking equipment. As and when the need arises, engineering managers also make arrangements for skills development training for employees

Software Engineering Manager vs Tech lead: Role of a Tech Lead‍

Average Salary: $138,297 per annum
Salary Range (Lowest to Highest): $124,240-$153,181 per annum
Source: Salary.com

The tech leads are themselves coding experts who have graduated to the role of team leaders in a software engineering setup.

They work closely with team members to assign them daily tasks and guide them with coding-related challenges. Some of their core responsibilities include:

Guidance and Review: Tech leads work closely with team members to provide them technical expertise and guidance. They conduct design reviews and feasibility studies of technologies the company plans to work upon. They also assist the senior management in performance evaluation of team members.

‍Leadership, mentorship and management: Tech leads are project owners. They work closely with engineering managers to understand project centric requirements, estimate effort and plan strategies for effective implementation. Tech leads are team mentors who guide and coach junior engineers with knowledge and expertise. They foster an environment of mutual respect, continuous growth and learning.

‍Quality review and assurance: Tech leads perform regular reviews and guide junior engineers with constructive feedback to ensure that codes meet the standard set in the service-level agreement. They also implement standards to ensure that the company’s deliverables are reliable and maintainable.

‍Collaboration and communication: Whereas the software engineering managers oversee collaboration and coordination, the tech leads micro-manage these activities to ensure anticipated outcomes. While they facilitate such collaboration, they ensure that the activity instills transparency, enhances positivity and develops inter-team trust.

Differences Between Roles and Responsibilities

Now let’s compare the roles and responsibilities of software engineering managers vs. tech leads

Software Engineering Managers	Tech Leads
Hire teams capable of delivering projects effectively and efficiently	Guides and mentors teams to overcome technical and inter-team coordination challenges
Ensure that the team members understand project-centric SLAs	Ensure effective and trustworthy collaboration between team members
Facilitate access to essential resources for timely project deliverables	Perform code reviews and implement best coding practices to ensure that deliverables are standardized
Optimize processes, operations and systems to ensure everything remains within budget	Collaborate closely with managers and departments to ensure deliverables as per SLAs
Monitor and observe KPIs to identify areas of strengths and those needing improvements	Ensure that team efforts lead to desired results
Guide the teams to take decisions related to the overall plan for delivering a project	Implement strategies to ensure visibility and recognition for efforts the team makes
Provide teams with opportunities for career growth and advancement	Work closely with team members to implement new tech

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Software Engineer Managers vs Tech Leads: Required Skills

What are the skills professionals require to be successful software engineering managers and tech leads:

Software Engineering Managers	Tech Leads
Extensive coding experience and leadership skills	Expertise in at least one front end and back end programming language
Proficiency in latest software development methodologies, techniques, and tools	Sound knowledge of software development practices, system design and architecture
Extensive experience in evaluation and monitoring of project-centric KPIs	Extensive experience in managing large scale projects
Great interpersonal and people management skills	Great problem-solving skills
Excellent decision making, time management and conflict resolution skills	Excellent collaborative and people management skills

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FAQs: Software Engineering Manager vs Tech Leads

Who is paid more, a Software Engineering Manager or a Tech Lead?‍

A software engineering manager oversees the overall functioning of one or more projects. The tech lead works closely with a project team. As the software engineering manager has more responsibilities than a tech lead, he is paid more than a tech lead.

Is a software engineering manager higher in hierarchy than a tech lead?

In small organizations, the role of a software engineering manager overlaps with the role of a tech lead. In many cases, a single person plays both the roles. In bigger organizations, the roles of software engineering manager and tech leads are differentiated with the software engineering manager placed higher in hierarchy than a tech lead.

What is the next position after tech lead in a software setup?‍

In small organizations, the next position after the tech lead is software engineering lead. Many times, these two roles overlap with a single person performing both the duties. However, in a slightly bigger organization, the next step after tech lead is engineering lead.

What is the main difference between lead software engineer and an engineering manager?‍

A lead software engineer manages a specific project. A software engineering manager works with employees to streamline processes and project management in general.

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Related Articles:

A Comprehensive Guide to the Engineering Manager Role
5 Incredible Tips on How to Stand Out in Your Interview as a Software Engineer
‍Software Engineering Manager: Responsibilities and Salary
‍Google Engineering Manager Interview Process
‍Should You Be an Engineering Manager?