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The differences between development & program managers and senior development managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a development & program manager, becoming a senior development manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a senior development manager has an average salary of $141,487, which is higher than the $102,824 average annual salary of a development & program manager.
The top three skills for a development & program manager include professional development, project management and program management. The most important skills for a senior development manager are java, software development, and cloud.
| Development & Program Manager | Senior Development Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $102,824 | $141,487 |
| Hourly rate | $49.43 | $68.02 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 186,222 | 148,732 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 39 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 8 |
The responsibilities of a development and program manager depend on one's place or industry of employment. Typically, they are in charge of overseeing the operations behind various projects and programs, ensuring everything is running smoothly and efficiently. They must also devise new strategies to improve workforce performance and services, identify new opportunities for profit growth, and determine the needs of clients. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the team in the joint effort to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A senior development manager oversees the daily operations of a company's product development team. They mostly have administrative duties, such as spearheading projects and programs, streamlining project requirements, establishing objectives and timelines, setting budgets and guidelines, delegating responsibilities among teams, and monitoring their progress, coordinating every team's efforts to ensure an effective workflow. Being a senior development manager takes years of experience, which they utilize to lead and guide teams in a joint effort to reach project goals and deliver profitable products.
Development & program managers and senior development managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Development & Program Manager | Senior Development Manager | |
| Average salary | $102,824 | $141,487 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $137,000 | Between $106,000 And $188,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Foundation Medicine | Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a development & program manager and a senior development manager in terms of educational background:
| Development & Program Manager | Senior Development Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between development & program managers' and senior development managers' demographics:
| Development & Program Manager | Senior Development Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.3% Female, 41.7% | Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 13.6% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |