Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between client program managers and lead program managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead program manager has an average salary of $119,480, which is higher than the $91,794 average annual salary of a client program manager.
The top three skills for a client program manager include project management, client facing and program management. The most important skills for a lead program manager are project management, program management, and portfolio.
| Client Program Manager | Lead Program Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $91,794 | $119,480 |
| Hourly rate | $44.13 | $57.44 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 169,552 | 200,688 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A client program manager coordinates with the internal teams in establishing customer plans like release schedule, terms of acceptance, and program milestones. Client program managers execute, deliver, coordinate, and track customer projects from initiation through completion. The managers inform clients about the processes of business execution and the procedures for sales and marketing. They develop trusted and strong relationships with their customers through accurate and timely communications. They also evaluate the risks of customer projects to establish and execute contingency and risk management plans.
A lead program manager is responsible for coordinating departmental projects and ensuring that the programs adhere to the business guidelines and functions to achieve long-term goals and objectives. Lead program managers strategize techniques in developing business plans and managing budget allocation across departments. They also coordinate with clients for progress updates and modify program plans as needed. A lead program manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to finalize program outputs and assist the team in resolving project issues and delays.
Client program managers and lead program managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Client Program Manager | Lead Program Manager | |
| Average salary | $91,794 | $119,480 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $136,000 | Between $89,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Meta | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a client program manager and a lead program manager in terms of educational background:
| Client Program Manager | Lead Program Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between client program managers' and lead program managers' demographics:
| Client Program Manager | Lead Program Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% | Male, 63.7% Female, 36.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.1% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |