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The differences between chief product officers and product leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a chief product officer, becoming a product lead takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a chief product officer has an average salary of $134,865, which is higher than the $118,828 average annual salary of a product lead.
The top three skills for a chief product officer include CPO, patrol and patients. The most important skills for a product lead are product management, project management, and architecture.
| Chief Product Officer | Product Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $134,865 | $118,828 |
| Hourly rate | $64.84 | $57.13 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 145,190 | 95,557 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 52 | 39 |
| Years of experience | - | 10 |
A chief product officer (CPO) is an executive professional who is responsible for managing a company's product management team to create products that can deliver sustainable value to both customers and the business. This executive must lead the strategic product direction, which includes product vision, design, development, and marketing. To get insights from the needs of customers, this executive is required to initiate various types of customer research to use it to differentiate products from competitors. This chief product officer must also take part in exhibitions to present products to the audience.
A product lead is responsible for monitoring the development of new products and services of an organization, starting from brand conceptualization to official market release and distribution. Product leads identify effective product management by conducting data analysis and evaluating market statistics of customer demands. They coordinate with the clients on their specifications and requirements, including the budget limit and timely deliverables. A product lead manages the brand promotion on media platforms, creating content that adheres to the target audience.
Chief product officers and product leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Product Officer | Product Lead | |
| Average salary | $134,865 | $118,828 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $242,000 | Between $86,000 And $163,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a chief product officer and a product lead in terms of educational background:
| Chief Product Officer | Product Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between chief product officers' and product leads' demographics:
| Chief Product Officer | Product Lead | |
| Average age | 52 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.4% Female, 28.6% | Male, 71.1% Female, 28.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 10% |