Seniority vs. experience

Seniority vs. experience

I joined my org last year, and the lead I was assigned joined the org two years earlier. That said, I have more experience and credentials than the lead (I've worked for very large orgs in our sector, they haven't), but this person is considered "above" me solely due to seniority and the fact that they simply were hired first. Lately, we've started butting heads because I draw different conclusions and need to manage my own projects without the lead's micromanagement.

I feel I should have been hired as a standalone professional reporting to a higher-level manager, and this lead is becoming another layer of management that doesn't add value to my projects. I'm just another person for them to manage. The other staffers on the team are the lead's own handpicked employees (I was hired by someone else and sent to the team, the others on the team the lead had a say in hiring). I'm starting to feel like the annoying stepchild. Any way to fix this?