Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between information technology project leads and technical project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an information technology project lead and a technical project manager. Additionally, a technical project manager has an average salary of $108,205, 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 a technical project manager are project management, technical project, and scrum.
| Information Technology Project Lead | Technical Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $102,491 | $108,205 |
| Hourly rate | $49.27 | $52.02 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 181,020 | 209,820 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
The role of technical project managers is to oversee the planning and management of projects within a company. They are considered as the lead subject matter expert in terms of technology concerns. They have varied duties that include ensuring the completion of projects within an established budget and time frame, hiring and training support members, and improving resource management and project planning. They also communicate with stakeholders and collaborate with other departments, all to attain a common goal.
Information technology project leads and technical project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Information Technology Project Lead | Technical Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $102,491 | $108,205 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $139,000 | Between $81,000 And $142,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Citi | Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between an information technology project lead and a technical project manager in terms of educational background:
| Information Technology Project Lead | Technical Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between information technology project leads' and technical project managers' demographics:
| Information Technology Project Lead | Technical Project Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.6% Female, 34.4% | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |