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The differences between directors program management and technical managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a director program management, becoming a technical manager takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a director program management has an average salary of $141,289, which is higher than the $116,619 average annual salary of a technical manager.
The top three skills for a director program management include program management, project management and cloud. The most important skills for a technical manager are project management, infrastructure, and architecture.
| Director Program Management | Technical Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $141,289 | $116,619 |
| Hourly rate | $67.93 | $56.07 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 142,312 | 116,732 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 2 |
The duties of a director of program management depend on one's industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing the operations in particular areas, ensuring efficiency and productivity that will translate to sales. They are also responsible for devising strategies to optimize existing programs, spearheading new projects, setting goals and budget, resolving issues and concerns, and evaluating workforce performance. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A technical manager is responsible for maintaining the company's information systems database and analyzing technology system matters to ensure its efficiency and accuracy in supporting business operations. Technical managers perform network checks regularly to assess any possible malfunctions that might compromise the company's cybersecurity. They carefully analyze business and clients' specifications on working with systems integration, responding to end-users' concerns and inquiries. A technical manager must have excellent knowledge of the information technology systems industry, as well as a strong command on network codes to conduct adjustments and manage network infrastructure.
Directors program management and technical managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Director Program Management | Technical Manager | |
| Average salary | $141,289 | $116,619 |
| Salary range | Between $102,000 And $195,000 | Between $84,000 And $161,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | A.T. Kearney |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a director program management and a technical manager in terms of educational background:
| Director Program Management | Technical Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between directors program management' and technical managers' demographics:
| Director Program Management | Technical Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.9% Female, 30.1% | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 14% |