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The differences between department leads and requirements managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a department lead, becoming a requirements manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a requirements manager has an average salary of $87,310, which is higher than the $42,113 average annual salary of a department lead.
The top three skills for a department lead include cleanliness, safety procedures and customer service. The most important skills for a requirements manager are java, client facing, and emerging technologies.
| Department Lead | Requirements Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $42,113 | $87,310 |
| Hourly rate | $20.25 | $41.98 |
| Growth rate | - | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 204,534 | 64,837 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 43 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 8 |
A department lead's responsibilities will vary in an organization or company. It will, most of the time, revolve around overseeing the progress of work in a particular area and evaluating department staff's performance. Other responsibilities include setting goals and implementing the company's policies and guidelines. They may also carry out administrative tasks such as approving and signing paperwork, producing reports and presentations, and crafting guidelines and strategies to help reach goals. Furthermore, as a department head, it is important to encourage staff and shape them into valuable company members.
A Requirements Manager develops and oversees procedures to ensure that projects meet their needs. They focus on identifying project requirements through extensive research and analysis, conceptualizing plans to attain them. There are also instances when they must spearhead product and requirement reviews, identifying their strengths and weaknesses to develop solutions against potential problem areas. Most Requirements Managers manage development teams, leading and encouraging them to reach goals while implementing company standards and regulations for a smooth and efficient workflow.
Department leads and requirements managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Department Lead | Requirements Manager | |
| Average salary | $42,113 | $87,310 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $79,000 | Between $56,000 And $135,000 |
| Highest paying City | New Haven, CT | - |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | - |
| Best paying company | Tufts Medical Center | - |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a department lead and a requirements manager in terms of educational background:
| Department Lead | Requirements Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between department leads' and requirements managers' demographics:
| Department Lead | Requirements Manager | |
| Average age | 43 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.7% Female, 45.3% | Male, 66.8% Female, 33.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 12.6% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |