Made with
5 August 2022
12 min
A software team leader is the leading engineer in a development team, the one who coordinates other developers, makes decisions regarding product development and task distribution, and sets realistic development goals and milestones. Companies from start-up to enterprise levels are normally ready to allocate more resources for hiring these specialists, because a qualified team leader can successfully build and manage a high-performing software team from scratch.
If you’re also in need of an experienced development team leader, this article will help you understand the most important hard & soft skills of lead engineers, the main factors influencing the salaries of team leaders in tech, relevant salaries of these IT specialists around the world, and effective ways of hiring such professionals.
Expertise and Education of Software Team Leaders Worldwide
When it comes to technical leader skills, the first important thing to consider is the following hard ones:
Technical educational background
Usually, team lead engineers have at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, artificial intelligence, or other technical fields.
Working experience on a technical position
A software team lead should have had real working experience as a software engineer, web developer, QA tester, product manager, or other IT specialist. Practical coding experience helps them understand how code is written and designed to be able to fix bugs/errors and report the results.
Expert knowledge of 2+ programming languages
As regards obligatory programming languages, an average team leader should know at least 2 of them. For example, some software team leaders are required to know JavaScript, TypeScript, and C++ or a combination of other dev languages for creating powerful system web applications.
Knowledge of other technologies
If we take a team leader with a focus on JavaScript, C++ and TypeScript, they might also have experience with technologies like Node.js, RabbitMQ, WebSockets, and Docker. In the case of cloud infrastructure engineering, a team lead could have Python expertise and knowledge of other technologies like AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Azure, Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD (as seen in the vacancy description below).
Knowledge of team management tools
In order to properly distribute tasks, monitor team performance, and measure team effectiveness, a development team leader should know how to use team management tools. The most popular programs are Trello, Jira, Clockify, Zoom, Slack, IDoneThis, etc.
Advanced level of English
The standard level of English among lead engineers is a C1/C2 advanced level; however, some companies may consider candidates with a B2 level if they understand all the requirements and can communicate in English without problems.
Overall, the most essential soft skills of a software team leader are problem-solving, decision-making, effective communication, delegation, teamwork, attention to details, analytical thinking, and strategic planning.
Software Team Leader Salary Market Trends
Talented software team leaders have always been in huge demand because they are an indispensable asset to every tech team. According to LinkedIn, there are over 386,000 open software development team lead positions just in the United States. On Glassdoor, there are around 171,500 open lead vacancies in this region. It’s estimated that in 2022-2023 the demand for leading development engineers will grow further, just like the average salary for a software team leader. However, this is not the only factor that influences the compensation of these specialists.
4 Main Factors That Impact the Average
Software Team Leader Salary
In addition to growing demand, the salary of a software team leader also depends on the following four factors:
1) Desired skills & knowledge
As mentioned before, a professional team leader should have a higher technical education, know at least two programming languages, be an expert in technologies required by the company, use team management tools effectively, and have an excellent English level. Moreover, this tech specialist must possess the needed soft skills.
2) Experience Level
Some developers work as programmers or other IT specialists for only 3-4 years before they become team leaders, while others only land this position after 5-6 years. In general, the career ladder of software team leaders looks like this: (1-2 years), Middle Developer (2-3 years), Senior Developer (4-5 years), Software Team Leader (5 and more years).
3) Organization size & type
The software engineer team lead salary also depends on the type of software company. In practice, product tech companies offer a higher compensation for team leading developers, plus better employee bonuses & social packages.
4) Location
The highest software team leader salary can be found in the USA, Canada, and Australia, while the lowest compensation is in Central & South America, India, and Eastern European countries like Poland, Romania, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.
Software Team Leader Salary: Key Takeaways
Our team conducted comprehensive research to find the average software team leader salary by area. For this purpose, we considered the gross annual pay in USD as of July 2022 from reliable local resources. You can see the results in the table below:
| Gross annual income, USD | Fintech | Healthcare | Automation/RPA | Automotive | Telecom | E-commerce | E-learning |
| Northern America | $119,000 | $122,250 | $120,000 | $121,000 | $121,250 | $114,500 | $116,500 |
| Western & Nordic Europe | $81,250 | $75,750 | $77,000 | $77,500 | $76,500 | $78,500 | $75,750 |
| Eastern Asia | $68,000 | $61,250 | $54,250 | $58,250 | $59,000 | $60,000 | $61,500 |
| South Africa | $53,500 | $49,500 | $62,000 | $38,000 | $39,500 | $54,000 | $40,500 |
| Central & Eastern Europe | $58,500 | $63,000 | $64,750 | $62,000 | $64,000 | $67,000 | $63,750 |
| South & Central America | $38,000 | $33,750 | $34,250 | $35,500 | $34,500 | $35,000 | $34,750 |
Average Software Team Leader Salary in North America
USA
The average salary for a software team leader from fintech in California is $131,750, while in Washington it is $123,500 per year.
| Gross annual income, USD | Fintech | Healthcare | Automation/RPA | Automotive | Telecom | E-commerce | E-learning |
| California | $131,750 | $137,500 | $130,750 | $135,500 | $130,750 | $127,000 | $130,750 |
| New York | $131,250 | $137,250 | $130,500 | $135,250 | $130,500 | $126,500 | $130,000 |
| Washington | $123,500 | $129,500 | $122,500 | $127,500 | $122,500 | $118,750 | $122,000 |
| Texas | $127,500 | $133,500 | $126,500 | $131,500 | $126,500 | $122,750 | $126,000 |
| Illinois | $120,500 | $126,500 | $119,500 | $124,500 | $119,500 | $116,000 | $119,250 |
Canada
| Gross annual income, USD | Fintech | Healthcare | Automation/RPA | Automotive | Telecom | E-commerce | E-learning |
| Toronto | $104,250 | $105,750 | $108,250 | $103,250 | $111,500 | $100,250 | $100,000 |
| Montréal | $105,500 | $109,250 | $109,500 | $104,500 | $112,750 | $101,250 | $101,000 |
| Vancouver | $108,500 | $110,000 | $112,500 | $107,250 | $115,500 | $104,000 | $104,000 |
Average Software Team Leader Salary
in Central and South America
Mexico
The software development team leader salary in Mexico ranges from $40,250 in the RPA/automation industry to $44,500 in the fintech sphere.
Brazil
Brazilian team leaders earn $36,750 per year in telecom and $38,000 in e-learning companies.
Argentina
The software team leader salary range in Argentina is between $25,250 and $29,750, depending on the industry.
| Gross annual income, USD | Fintech | Healthcare | Automation/RPA | Automotive | Telecom | E-commerce | E-learning |
| Mexico | $44,500 | $40,250 | $40,000 | $42,750 | $41,500 | $42,500 | $40,500 |
| Brazil | $39,500 | $35,000 | $37,000 | $37,500 | $36,750 | $37,500 | $38,000 |
| Argentina | $29,750 | $26,000 | $25,750 | $26,000 | $25,750 | $25,250 | $26,000 |
Software Team Leader Income in Western & Nordic Europe
United Kingdom
| Gross annual income, USD | Fintech | Healthcare | Automation/RPA | Automotive | Telecom | E-commerce | E-learning |
| England | $86,000 | $74,250 | $81,500 | $78,250 | $73,750 | $83,500 | $74,000 |
| Scotland | $81,000 | $69,500 | $76,500 | $73,500 | $69,000 | $78,500 | $69,000 |
| Northern Ireland | $79,500 | $68,000 | $75,500 | $72,000 | $67,500 | $76,000 | $68,000 |
| Wales | $71,500 | $60,000 | $67,000 | $64,000 | $59,500 | $69,000 | $59,500 |
Germany
The highest team lead salaries in Germany are in e-learning, healthcare, and automotive spheres, while the lowest are found in fintech and telecom.
France
French automotive team leaders in tech earn around $78,250 yearly, while their colleagues from e-commerce have a compensation of $72,750.
Italy
The average software engineer team lead salary in healthcare is approximately $66,000 per year in Italy, while in e-learning it’s $65,500.
Spain
Spanish lead developers earn about $61,000 in automotive and $62,500 in the e-commerce industries.
| Gross annual income, USD | Fintech | Healthcare | Automation/RPA | Automotive | Telecom | E-commerce | E-learning |
| Germany | $77,500 | $85,750 | $82,250 | $86,000 | $81,500 | $84,000 | $86,750 |
| France | $77,000 | $76,250 | $74,500 | $78,250 | $73,500 | $72,750 | $72,250 |
| Italy | $75,500 | $66,000 | $67,500 | $66,000 | $71,000 | $65,750 | $65,500 |
| Spain | $63,500 | $61,500 | $58,250 | $61,000 | $59,000 | $62,500 | $58,250 |
Norway
In fintech and telecom spheres, the salary of technical team leaders is $90,500.
Netherlands
Programmers at leading positions in the Netherlands earn around $84,250 in healthcare and $83,000 in the e-learning industry annually.
Sweden
E-commerce leading developers in Sweden earn about $90,750 annually.
Austria
Austrian automotive team lead engineers have a compensation of $84,500 per annum in general.
Belgium
In Belgium, team leaders from different industries can earn $79,000-$88,500 per year.
| Gross annual income, USD | Fintech | Healthcare | Automation/RPA | Automotive | Telecom | E-commerce | E-learning |
| Norway | $93,000 | $89,000 | $91,500 | $92,500 | $93,000 | $90,000 | $92,000 |
| Netherlands | $87,750 | $84,250 | $81,500 | $85,500 | $80,500 | $80,000 | $83,000 |
| Sweden | $93,000 | $86,250 | $87,000 | $88,000 | $97,500 | $90,750 | $91,750 |
| Austria | $82,500 | $81,750 | $79,750 | $84,500 | $87,250 | $87,000 | $83,000 |
| Belgium | $88,500 | $83,250 | $78,750 | $79,000 | $80,250 | $81,000 | $83,000 |
Software Team Leader Salary Range in Eastern Europe
Ukraine
Automotive team leaders in IT could earn $60,750, while telecom leading engineers have a compensation of around $68,000 per annum in Ukraine.
Poland
In Poland, the average annual RPA software lead salary is $80,000, while the compensation of leading e-learning engineers is $71,250.
Romania
Romanian team leaders in tech earn from $44,500 to $53,250 per year.
Hungary
Healthcare leading engineers earn about $55,000, while e-commerce leading developers earn $60,500+- per year in Hungary.
Czech Republic
The lowest software team leader salary in Czechia is approximately $73,250 per year in RPA, while the highest is $83,250 annually in fintech.
| Gross annual income, USD | Fintech | Healthcare | Automation/RPA | Automotive | Telecom | E-commerce | E-learning |
| Ukraine | $73,500 | $60,250 | $67,500 | $60,750 | $68,000 | $67,500 | $66,000 |
| Poland | $72,000 | $75,750 | $80,000 | $74,000 | $74,500 | $73,750 | $71,250 |
| Romania | $53,250 | $47,500 | $47,250 | $46,000 | $44,500 | $52,750 | $48,250 |
| Hungary | $58,500 | $55,000 | $55,500 | $54,000 | $57,000 | $60,500 | $57,000 |
| Czech Republic | $83,250 | $77,250 | $73,250 | $75,250 | $75,750 | $81,000 | $76,250 |
Software Team Leader Salary in Eastern & South Asia
China
Chinese leading developers can earn $56,000 in the RPA industry and $63,250 in the telecom sphere.
Japan
The highest development team lead salary in Japan is about $77,000, while the lowest is $62,250 per annum.
South Korea
South Korean tech team leaders earn up to $67,500 if they work in fintech companies and $65,000 if their employer is an automotive firm.
Singapore
In Singapore, software team leads earn from $69,000 to $100,750 per year, depending on the company.
India
Telecom software leaders in India earn circa $25,750 annually, while RPA leads get $19,500.
| Gross annual income, USD | Fintech | Healthcare | Automation/RPA | Automotive | Telecom | E-commerce | E-learning |
| China | $67,750 | $73,500 | $56,000 | $59,000 | $63,250 | $73,000 | $64,000 |
| Japan | $64,000 | $74,000 | $68,750 | $62,250 | $64,000 | $67,000 | $77,000 |
| South Korea | $67,500 | $62,000 | $57,500 | $65,000 | $64,000 | $65,750 | $64,750 |
| Singapore | $100,750 | $69,000 | $69,500 | $81,000 | $77,500 | $69,750 | $76,250 |
| India | $40,500 | $27,500 | $19,500 | $24,500 | $25,750 | $23,500 | $26,250 |
Software Team Leader Salary in Israel
| Gross annual income, USD | Fintech | Healthcare | Automation/RPA | Automotive | Telecom | E-commerce | E-learning |
| Tel Aviv | $100,250 | $102,750 | $102,500 | $94,000 | $95,250 | $93,000 | $92,750 |
| Haifa | $86,000 | $88,500 | $88,250 | $80,000 | $81,250 | $79,000 | $78,500 |
| Jerusalem | $95,750 | $100,750 | $101,000 | $83,500 | $86,000 | $81,500 | $81,000 |
Software Team Leader Salary Range in Australia
| Gross annual income, USD | Fintech | Healthcare | Automation/RPA | Automotive | Telecom | E-commerce | E-learning |
| Sydney | $147,000 | $119,500 | $123,750 | $123,000 | $120,750 | $123,000 | $115,000 |
| Melbourne | $138,250 | $110,500 | $115,000 | $114,250 | $112,000 | $114,000 | $106,000 |
| Brisbane | $135,500 | $107,750 | $112,000 | $111,500 | $109,000 | $111,250 | $103,250 |
Need a Software Team Lead for Your Development Team?
Alcor BPO has a Hot Offer for You
When the French tech product company, Ledger, that develops cryptocurrency wallets, decided to extend their team in Europe, they reached out to Alcor. Within 3 months, we hired 10+ QA specialists for them, including Team Lead and Management positions. We also provided them with complete legal & compliance solutions to avoid offshoring risks and handle taxes & documentation.
Alcor is a recruiting agency that focuses on hiring remote senior/lead positions for software product companies in Eastern Europe. Our main tasks involve not only to hire offshore developers but also handle administrative business tasks to support your development team. Alcor’s professional IT recruitment services include executive search for team leaders with rare skills, preparation of blind CVs, composition of weekly analytical reports, preparation of job offers, and other services. We have 40+ IT researchers and recruiters at Alcor for you to hire Eastern European developers, namely Polish programmers, Romanian coders, and the best software engineers from the rest of Eastern Europe, using recruitment analysis and established IT hiring processes.
Why Eastern Europe? Countries in this region offer affordable development team lead rates and low taxes. In Poland, software team leaders pay from 8% to 14% of personal income tax, while in Romania, there is no income tax for software engineers. Beyond that, local team lead representatives are geographically and culturally close to their Western European colleagues and rank high in their levels of English, according to the EF English Proficiency Index.
Apart from the above-mentioned company Ledger, we have also helped People.ai, BigCommerce, Sift, Sitecore, Globality, and many other software product companies to reach their recruitment goals.
Contact Us
Contact us to receive a free analysis of your positions!
It includes the salary ranges and availability of the requested developers in Poland, Romania, and other countries in EE (as well as time-to-hire metrics and other KPIs for your case).