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The differences between functional managers and program managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a functional manager has an average salary of $113,849, which is higher than the $96,084 average annual salary of a program manager.
The top three skills for a functional manager include professional development, customer service and ERP. The most important skills for a program manager are project management, program management, and oversight.
| Functional Manager | Program Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $113,849 | $96,084 |
| Hourly rate | $54.74 | $46.19 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 48,500 | 197,556 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 8 | - |
A functional manager handles resources in a certain department like IT, engineering, PR, or marketing. Generally, they direct the technical work of employees from that functional part who are working on the project. They share responsibility with the project manager for directing the work of employees. They assign specific employees to the team and discuss with the project manager regarding resources to improved staff utilization. In addition, they also participate in the initial planning until activities are assigned and recommend possible changes to the project, including corrective actions.
A program manager is responsible for monitoring the project's progress, improving and developing new strategies, and coordinate various projects across the organization to ensure the success of the business objective. Program managers also manage the program's expenses, ensuring that the projects adhere to the budget goals without compromising the quality and accuracy of the result. A program manager should regularly connect with the different teams of every project under the program to keep track of the processes and procedures for the timely delivery of the product.
Functional managers and program managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Functional Manager | Program Manager | |
| Average salary | $113,849 | $96,084 |
| Salary range | Between $88,000 And $146,000 | Between $65,000 And $141,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a functional manager and a program manager in terms of educational background:
| Functional Manager | Program Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between functional managers' and program managers' demographics:
| Functional Manager | Program Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8% | Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 10% |