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The differences between applications project managers and project management leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an applications project manager and a project management lead. Additionally, an applications project manager has an average salary of $101,626, which is higher than the $85,117 average annual salary of a project management lead.
The top three skills for an applications project manager include project management, scrum and application development. The most important skills for a project management lead are project management, customer service, and portfolio.
| Applications Project Manager | Project Management Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $101,626 | $85,117 |
| Hourly rate | $48.86 | $40.92 |
| Growth rate | - | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 138,679 | 158,441 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
In the information technology industry, an applications project manager is primarily in charge of supervising the efforts in managing development projects for applications and systems. Their responsibilities include managing project development teams, setting objectives and guidelines, overseeing budgets and schedules, and developing strategies to optimize project operations. They may also conduct installations, upgrades, modifications, and perform regular maintenance checks, conducting repairs as needed. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A project management lead is in charge of overseeing all processes involved in the planning and delivery of projects in an organization. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating departments and personnel involved in every project to ensure accuracy and timeliness, managing budget and expenditures, producing progress reports and presentations, assessing risks, and delivering optimal quality results. Furthermore, as a management lead, it is crucial to lead and encourage team members, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Applications project managers and project management leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Applications Project Manager | Project Management Lead | |
| Average salary | $101,626 | $85,117 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $126,000 | Between $53,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | MRI Software | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Energy |
There are a few differences between an applications project manager and a project management lead in terms of educational background:
| Applications Project Manager | Project Management Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between applications project managers' and project management leads' demographics:
| Applications Project Manager | Project Management Lead | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.5% Female, 35.5% | Male, 59.2% Female, 40.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |