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The differences between functional managers and systems managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a functional manager and a systems manager. Additionally, a functional manager has an average salary of $113,849, which is higher than the $107,156 average annual salary of a systems manager.
The top three skills for a functional manager include professional development, customer service and ERP. The most important skills for a systems manager are customer service, project management, and patients.
| Functional Manager | Systems Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $113,849 | $107,156 |
| Hourly rate | $54.74 | $51.52 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 48,500 | 145,551 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 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 systems manager is responsible for monitoring the operations of the information technology department, evaluating staff performance, developing strategic procedures to maximize productivity, and identifying business opportunities that would generate more revenues and profitability for the company. Systems managers inspect company networks to ensure the efficiency of the technology systems, conducting regular diagnostic tests, and installing upgrades to boost optimization. A systems manager must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as a strong command in programming languages and system codes to maintain the security of the company's database.
Functional managers and systems managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Functional Manager | Systems Manager | |
| Average salary | $113,849 | $107,156 |
| Salary range | Between $88,000 And $146,000 | Between $75,000 And $152,000 |
| 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 systems manager in terms of educational background:
| Functional Manager | Systems Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between functional managers' and systems managers' demographics:
| Functional Manager | Systems Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8% | Male, 76.8% Female, 23.2% |
| 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, 6.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 12.6% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |