The main differences between a team lead and a senior

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In order to make the transition from senior to team lead, it is important to understand the key features of each position, tasks and core competencies.

Role Description
The senior is responsible for analytics of a certain area. Within this framework, he solves open problems and thereby benefits the business. He independently plans the work plan for the quarter. In addition, the senior analyst generates analytical tasks, coordinating them with the team leader.
The team lead is responsible for solving complex brazil whatsapp phone number analytical problems, building effective analytical and communication processes within the team. He is responsible for the metrics of the entire unit, draws new ideas from interaction with the outside world and analysis of current trends, implements innovative solutions, even if they do not immediately find support.
Key Responsibilities and Competencies
A senior and a team lead have similar levels of technical expertise, but their roles are significantly different.

The Senior does not need to manage the team, which allows him to fully focus on solving complex technical problems.
Such tasks may require the use of several methods and tools at once, which must be combined into a single analytical system. To do this, a senior must have a high level of proficiency in the entire technology stack, which usually includes SQL/DWH, data visualization in Redash/Plotly, knowledge of statistics and mathematics, Python, Machine learning.

In addition, companies appreciate it when a senior shares his expertise with colleagues and speaks at internal meetups.

The team leader spends no more than 50% of his time on solving technical problems; the rest is taken up by management.
He needs to find an approach to each team member: explain the task to a junior so that he understands, and work with seniors, avoiding unnecessary pressure, which may be ineffective with them. The team leader is often under stress and experiences pressure from both sides: from team members who expect support, and from management demanding results.

Balancing these expectations is one of the key tasks of a leader. An important part of the team lead's role is to constantly search for growth points for the product and business. They analyze current strategies and look for ways to improve them, which helps the company maintain a competitive advantage in the market.

In addition, the team leader takes an active part in the hiring process: justifies the need for team growth, participates in interviews and adaptation of newcomers. Like the lead analyst, the team leader shares expertise externally, representing the company at specialized events.