Generalist vs requirements manager

The differences between generalists and requirements managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a generalist, becoming a requirements manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a requirements manager has an average salary of $87,310, which is higher than the $46,518 average annual salary of a generalist.

The top three skills for a generalist include sales floor, store sales and customer loyalty. The most important skills for a requirements manager are java, client facing, and emerging technologies.

Generalist vs requirements manager overview

	Generalist	Requirements Manager
Yearly salary	$46,518	$87,310
Hourly rate	$22.36	$41.98
Growth rate	7%	16%
Number of jobs	8,585	64,837
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	8

What does a generalist do?

A generalist, also known as a human resource generalist, is responsible for overseeing the operations in a human resource department, focusing on employees' welfare and working conditions. They are primarily involved in the hiring and laying off processes among employees, handing training and benefits programs, and coordinating with every department in the company. Furthermore, a generalist must perform administrative tasks that mostly revolve around producing reports and processing paperwork, conducting research and analysis, and responding to correspondence.

What does a requirements manager do?

A Requirements Manager develops and oversees procedures to ensure that projects meet their needs. They focus on identifying project requirements through extensive research and analysis, conceptualizing plans to attain them. There are also instances when they must spearhead product and requirement reviews, identifying their strengths and weaknesses to develop solutions against potential problem areas. Most Requirements Managers manage development teams, leading and encouraging them to reach goals while implementing company standards and regulations for a smooth and efficient workflow.

Generalist vs requirements manager salary

Generalists and requirements managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Generalist	Requirements Manager
Average salary	$46,518	$87,310
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $72,000	Between $56,000 And $135,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Meta	-
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between generalist and requirements manager education

There are a few differences between a generalist and a requirements manager in terms of educational background:

	Generalist	Requirements Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	Carnegie Mellon University

Generalist vs requirements manager demographics

Here are the differences between generalists' and requirements managers' demographics:

	Generalist	Requirements Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2%	Male, 66.8% Female, 33.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 12.6% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	18%	11%

Differences between generalist and requirements manager duties and responsibilities

Generalist example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain PBX and VoIP phone systems at multiple locations.
Manage multiple lab projects for the implementation of new lab analyzers as well as LIS functionality.
Plan, install and manage new locations build outs with complete VPN connectivity and VOIP utilization for the multiple locations.
Manage UAB and HSF faculty recruitment, staffing needs, terminations, compensation, records management, employee relations and retention.
Manage data process flow to ensure employee timekeeping, attendance and payroll objectives are effectively and efficiently maintain.
Perform chemistry, microbiology, urinalysis, hematology, and blood bank laboratory tests, equipment calibration and quality assurance reports.

Requirements manager example responsibilities.

Develop SQL programs to automate updates to tables in TIMS.
Manage the division's database and coordinate with contractors in its development.
Configure and manage VMware host server 3.5 and 4.0 and guest servers.
Manage and coordinate the functional requirements for counterintelligence (CI) and human intelligence (HUMINT) communities.
Manage programming and development teams for ERP and in-house app development for iOS, web and other applications.
Conduct JAD sessions throughout the project to communicate and manage expectations with the business users and the feature content team.

Generalist vs requirements manager skills

Common generalist skills

Sales Floor, 21%
Store Sales, 17%
Customer Loyalty, 14%
Sales Growth, 12%
Customer Service, 6%
Processing Customer Transactions, 4%

Common requirements manager skills

Java, 22%
Client Facing, 15%
Emerging Technologies, 6%
Lean Six Sigma, 6%
Lifecycle Management, 5%
Requirements Management, 4%

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Executive Management Industry
Generalist
Generalist vs Requirements Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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