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The differences between functional managers 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 functional manager, becoming a technical manager takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a technical manager has an average salary of $116,619, which is higher than the $113,849 average annual salary of a functional manager.
The top three skills for a functional manager include professional development, customer service and ERP. The most important skills for a technical manager are project management, infrastructure, and architecture.
| Functional Manager | Technical Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $113,849 | $116,619 |
| Hourly rate | $54.74 | $56.07 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 48,500 | 116,732 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 2 |
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 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.
Functional managers and technical managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Functional Manager | Technical Manager | |
| Average salary | $113,849 | $116,619 |
| Salary range | Between $88,000 And $146,000 | Between $84,000 And $161,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | A.T. Kearney |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a functional manager and a technical manager in terms of educational background:
| Functional Manager | Technical Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between functional managers' and technical managers' demographics:
| Functional Manager | Technical Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8% | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% |
| 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, 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% |