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Interior design director vs project manager/design manager

The differences between interior design directors and project manager/design managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an interior design director, becoming a project manager/design manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, an interior design director has an average salary of $88,458, which is higher than the $83,794 average annual salary of a project manager/design manager.

The top three skills for an interior design director include design concepts, photoshop and business development. The most important skills for a project manager/design manager are project management, CAD, and construction management.

Interior design director vs project manager/design manager overview

Interior Design DirectorProject Manager/Design Manager
Yearly salary$88,458$83,794
Hourly rate$42.53$40.29
Growth rate1%8%
Number of jobs43,103139,531
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4246
Years of experience48

Interior design director vs project manager/design manager salary

Interior design directors and project manager/design managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Interior Design DirectorProject Manager/Design Manager
Average salary$88,458$83,794
Salary rangeBetween $54,000 And $143,000Between $55,000 And $126,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-Hawaii
Best paying company-Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry-Manufacturing

Differences between interior design director and project manager/design manager education

There are a few differences between an interior design director and a project manager/design manager in terms of educational background:

Interior Design DirectorProject Manager/Design Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorInterior DesignArchitecture
Most common collegeCornell UniversityHarvard University

Interior design director vs project manager/design manager demographics

Here are the differences between interior design directors' and project manager/design managers' demographics:

Interior Design DirectorProject Manager/Design Manager
Average age4246
Gender ratioMale, 30.2% Female, 69.8%Male, 66.0% Female, 34.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 1.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 4.6% White, 82.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.9% White, 70.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage23%4%

Differences between interior design director and project manager/design manager duties and responsibilities

Interior design director example responsibilities.

  • Manage the schematic phase and generate all the necessary documents to be submit to the structural and MEP consultants.
  • Work include a broad portfolio of corporate, healthcare, institutional and educational projects.
  • Establish architecture process allowing architecture evolution through contributions
  • Design and draft compression and transfer rubber molds and steel rule dies in SolidWorks.
  • Establish innovative and collaborative mechanical designs and component parts of equipment while using AutoCAD and SolidWorks simultaneously.
  • Establish architecture process allowing architecture evolution through contributions

Project manager/design manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage and approve all changes to the project along with all AIA document approvals.
  • Involve in Unix shell script development to automate ETL jobs by using Informatica sessions and workflows.
  • Manage the schematic phase and generate all the necessary documents to be submit to the structural and MEP consultants.
  • Manage internal prototype injection molding operations on a project basis.
  • Lead efforts to redesign and convert existing self-pace and instructor-le course materials into eLearning and web-base formats.
  • Lead safety compliance by conducting regular safety meetings with subcontractors and strictly enforcing safety policies and procedures, including OSHA regulations.
  • Show more

Interior design director vs project manager/design manager skills

Common interior design director skills
  • Design Concepts, 20%
  • Photoshop, 17%
  • Business Development, 10%
  • Design Process, 9%
  • Leed, 8%
  • Space Planning, 7%
Common project manager/design manager skills
  • Project Management, 20%
  • CAD, 6%
  • Construction Management, 5%
  • Fire Protection, 5%
  • Project Scope, 5%
  • Revit, 4%

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