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Human services manager vs program assistant

The differences between human services managers and program assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a human services manager and a program assistant. Additionally, a human services manager has an average salary of $61,593, which is higher than the $35,193 average annual salary of a program assistant.

The top three skills for a human services manager include human services, lean six sigma and social work. The most important skills for a program assistant are patients, customer service, and data entry.

Human services manager vs program assistant overview

Human Services ManagerProgram Assistant
Yearly salary$61,593$35,193
Hourly rate$29.61$16.92
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs122,97996,901
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age4343
Years of experience1212

What does a human services manager do?

Human services managers are management professionals who are responsible for managing a team of human services workers that offer support to families, the elderly, the poor, and others in need. These managers must integrate services provided by all human services programs by suggesting new policies and procedures. They should assist with child abuse investigations when referred by social workers through collaboration with government representatives. Human services managers are also required to meet state and federal compliance goals and program requirements so that they can manage excellent service delivery systems.

What does a program assistant do?

Program assistants are usually entry-level or junior employees assigned to a department that handles a specific program in the organization. They assist the team they are assigned to in the implementation of the programs. They usually take care of administrative or clerical activities while also getting exposure to actual program management. Program assistants get trained to handle agendas from inception, to sourcing, to implementation, to evaluation. They may also handle documentary support for business cases or other presentation materials that the team may need for a specific part of the program management cycle.

Human services manager vs program assistant salary

Human services managers and program assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Human Services ManagerProgram Assistant
Average salary$61,593$35,193
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $100,000Between $27,000 And $45,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateWashingtonConnecticut
Best paying companyGoogleThe Aspen Institute
Best paying industryProfessionalGovernment

Differences between human services manager and program assistant education

There are a few differences between a human services manager and a program assistant in terms of educational background:

Human Services ManagerProgram Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeSUNY at BinghamtonNorthwestern University

Human services manager vs program assistant demographics

Here are the differences between human services managers' and program assistants' demographics:

Human Services ManagerProgram Assistant
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 31.5% Female, 68.5%Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%Black or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between human services manager and program assistant duties and responsibilities

Human services manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage all programs operations in accordance with HRA and industry regulations, agency policies and HIPAA guidelines.
  • Act as a liaison between clients, guardians, medical facilities resolving financial issues and questions regarding Medicaid cases.
  • Calculate budgets in reference to Medicaid programs
  • Monitor and ensure proper payroll setup including coordination of common paymaster with university paycheck to ensure savings on FICA taxes.
  • Identify barriers and challenges that veterans are facing and utilize a solution-base approach to effectively resolve issue that threaten housing stability.

Program assistant example responsibilities.

  • Lead classes in anatomy/physiology, medical terminology, transcription.
  • Manage oversight of budget/finance, personnel and continuous program improvement.
  • Assist in achieving and maintaining DoD certification and national accreditation where applicable.
  • Instruct students in C++ and Java programming, robot design and construction.
  • Introduce students to various computer pro- gramming languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript).
  • Present information about RSVP to community organizations.
  • Show more

Human services manager vs program assistant skills

Common human services manager skills
  • Human Services, 20%
  • Lean Six Sigma, 14%
  • Social Work, 11%
  • Social Services, 8%
  • Developmental Disabilities, 5%
  • Community Resources, 4%
Common program assistant skills
  • Patients, 12%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Data Entry, 8%
  • HR, 6%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
  • Data Collection, 4%

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