10+ "Lead" Synonyms To Put In Your Resume [With Examples]

📝 Note: This article focuses on helping you find the best synonym for “lead” as an adjective. If you're looking for synonyms for the verb “lead”, check out our article: 10+ “Led” Synonyms To Put In Your Resume [With Examples]

Looking for “lead” synonyms to put in your resume?

Sometimes, it can feel like the word “lead” is the only option you have when referencing your past jobs and projects.

However, when you finish crafting your resume, you may realize you got a little too carried away with your use of the word.

So how can you find another word for “lead” that still communicates exactly what you want in your resume?

In this article, you'll find more than just a list of synonyms: you'll also find examples of how to use these words in each section of your resume.

At the end of this article, I'll share a secret tip on how to level up your resume writing.

You can read this piece from top to bottom or jump to the specific sections below:

10+ Synonyms For “Lead” To Put In Your Resume
How To Use “Lead” Synonyms On Your Resume (With Examples)
How To Take Your Resume Writing To The Next Level (With Free Resources!)
Taking Your Resume To The Next Level: Final Steps
Key Takeaways To Writing a Job-Winning Resume

Let's get started!

10+ Synonyms For “Lead” To Put In Your Resume

Below, you can find a list of 10 synonyms for “lead” to add to your resume:

Head: Suggests being at the forefront of leading a team or initiative.
First: Implies being at the beginning or forefront of a project.
Heading: Suggests overseeing a specific function, project, or team.
In charge: Conveys responsibility for a specific team or project.
In front: Suggests being the primary person responsible for an initiative.
Main: Implies being the primary or central person in a project or team.
Primary: Suggests being the main person responsible for a task or project.
Principal: Conveys being the primary person responsible for a project.
Upfront: Suggests a sense of taking the initiative for a task or project.
Vanguard: Suggests being at the cutting edge or forefront of a project.

How To Use “Lead” Synonyms On Your Resume (With Examples)

Now that you've seen the top 10 synonyms for “lead,” here's how you can use them in a sentence:

1. Using “Head” as another word for “lead”

“Head” suggests being at the forefront of taking charge of a project.

Using “lead”:

Lead Project Manager overseeing a global software rollout across multiple regions, improving delivery efficiency by 15%.

Using “ahead”:

Head Project Manager overseeing a global software rollout across multiple regions, improving delivery efficiency by 15%.

2. Using “first” as another word for “lead”

“First” implies being the primary person at the beginning or forefront of a project.

Using “lead”:

Lead Engineer responsible for launching the company’s flagship product, increasing market reach by 25%.

Using “first”:

First Engineer responsible for launching the company’s flagship product, increasing market reach by 25%.

3. Using “heading” as another word for “lead”

“Heading” suggests overseeing a specific function or team.

Using “lead”:

Lead Operations Manager in charge of improving supply chain processes, reducing costs by 12% and delivery times by 18%.

Using “head”:

Operations Manager heading efforts to improve supply chain processes, resulting in a 12% cost reduction and an 18% decrease in delivery times.

4. Using “in charge” as another word for “lead”

“In charge” conveys direct responsibility over a project or team.

Using “lead”:

Lead Marketing Officer responsible for managing a national advertising campaign, increasing brand awareness by 30% and driving a 20% growth in sales.

Using “in charge”:

Marketing Officer in charge of managing a national advertising campaign, increasing brand awareness by 30% and driving a 20% growth in sales.

5. Using “in front” as another word for “lead”

“In front” suggests being the primary or central figure in a project.

Using “lead”:

Lead Engineer guiding a team of developers in building a new platform.

Using “in front”:

Engineer in front of a team of developers in building a new platform, completing the project 10% ahead of schedule and increasing system efficiency by 25%.

6. Using “main” as another word for “lead”

“Main” implies being the key person responsible for a project.

Using “lead”:

Lead Product Manager tasked with managing product lifecycle improvements, resulting in a 15% reduction in time-to-market and a 10% increase in customer satisfaction.

Using “main”:

Main Product Manager tasked with overseeing product lifecycle improvements, resulting in a 15% reduction in time-to-market and a 10% increase in customer satisfaction.

7. Using “primary” as another word for “lead”

“Primary” suggests being the main person responsible for a task or project.

Using “lead”:

Lead Software Engineer overseeing a team in developing new features, increasing feature deployment speed by 20% and improving user engagement by 15%.

Using “primary”:

Primary Software Engineer overseeing a team in developing new features, increasing feature deployment speed by 20% and improving user engagement by 15%.

8. Using “principal” as another word for “lead”

“Principal” emphasizes being the key person responsible for a project or initiative.

Using “lead”:

Lead Project Manager responsible for overseeing a $5M software development project.

Using “principal”:

Principal Project Manager responsible for overseeing a $5M software development project.

9. Using “upfront” as another word for “lead”

“Upfront” conveys a sense of being actively engaged and taking the initiative from the beginning of the process.

Using “lead”:

Lead Marketing Specialist responsible for building an online strategy that increased organic traffic by 30%.

Using “upfront”:

Marketing Specialist taking an upfront role in developing an online strategy that increased organic traffic by 30%.

10. Using “vanguard” as another word for “lead”

“Vanguard” suggests being at the forefront of a new initiative or innovation.

Using “lead”:

Lead Software Engineer responsible for pioneering new AI development methods, improving model accuracy by 25%.

Using “vanguard”:

Software Engineer at the vanguard of new AI development methods, improving model accuracy by 25%.

Want To Take Your Resume Writing To The Next Level?

Writing a resume isn't just about simply listing your work experience, education, and skills. You need to sell yourself too!

This means you'll need to craft compelling resume bullets that really grab the attention of recruiters and hiring managers.

Sure, you could go with something like: Marketing Manager with 10+ years of experience.

Or, you could go with something like this:

Marketing Manager with 10+ years of experience managing high-impact campaigns that increased brand recognition by 35%.

Much better, right?

That's because I used a secret formula that includes a reasonable amount of hard and soft skills, action words, measurable results, and common words.

You can use ResyBullet.io to scan, score, and upgrade your resume bullets in a few seconds. Here's what I scored for the resume bullet above:

To scan and improve your resume bullets, simply head over to ResyBullet.io and copy and paste a resume bullet tool.

Aim for a score over 60, and you'll be good to go!

Not sure what metrics to include in your resume? This post from Austin's LinkedIn reviews 5 ways you can uncover metrics for any role:

To recap, here's a video that walks through the entire process of writing a job-winning resume bullet:

Taking Your Resume To The Next Level: Final Steps

Finding the right words for your resume can go a long way when you're applying online. Not only do you want to use compelling language, but you also want your resume to get past ATS filters. To do this, you'll need to match the keywords in your resume with the ones in the target job description.

The best way to do this is by using a resume scanner like ResyMatch.io to scan and score your resume with your target job in just a few clicks. Simply upload your resume and paste the job description:

After you've optimized your resume with the right keywords, how about ramping it up with a job-winning resume template? Pick one of the templates from ResyBuild.io to get started:

Key Takeaways To Writing a Job-Winning Resume

Now that we've gone through the best synonyms for “lead” to put in your resume, here are my final takeaways for writing a job-winning resume:

Review every instance of “lead” in your resume.
Review the list of synonyms in this article and update your resume so you don't have more than 2-3 instances of “lead.”
Run each of your resume bullets through ResyBullet.io and make sure they score >60.
Run your entire resume through ResyMatch.io and make sure it's optimized for the roles you are targeting.
Ramp up your resume with one of our job-winning resume templates from ResyBuild.io.

Follow these steps, and you're sure to end up with a job-winning resume!

Good luck out there!