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The differences between information technology project leads and information technology directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an information technology project lead, becoming an information technology director takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, an information technology director has an average salary of $138,906, which is higher than the $102,491 average annual salary of an information technology project lead.
The top three skills for an information technology project lead include project management, software development and status reports. The most important skills for an information technology director are customer service, project management, and cloud.
| Information Technology Project Lead | Information Technology Director | |
| Yearly salary | $102,491 | $138,906 |
| Hourly rate | $49.27 | $66.78 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 181,020 | 87,765 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 8 |
Information technology (IT) project leads are professionals who manage a team of IT professionals that work on the IT projects of an organization. These project leads are required to handle all issues regarding the project and financial management as well as review business and product requirements with the technical development team to address production issues. They must collaborate with the technical and application team leaders so that they can ensure the appropriate development of infrastructure architecture. IT project leads must also participate in negotiations with the software suppliers and IT consulting firms.
An information technology (IT) Director is an individual responsible for the management, strategy, and execution of an organization's IT infrastructure. He/She supervises a team of workers while working with the organization's management and external vendors and advisors. Aside from managing workers, an IT director should possess problem-solving skills and an aptitude for organizational thinking. An IT director must also identify new market opportunities and should lead an effort to improve the organization's IT process.
Information technology project leads and information technology directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Information Technology Project Lead | Information Technology Director | |
| Average salary | $102,491 | $138,906 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $139,000 | Between $97,000 And $197,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Citi | The Tipping Point |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between an information technology project lead and an information technology director in terms of educational background:
| Information Technology Project Lead | Information Technology Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between information technology project leads' and information technology directors' demographics:
| Information Technology Project Lead | Information Technology Director | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.6% Female, 34.4% | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |