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The differences between launch managers and planning managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a launch manager and a planning manager. Additionally, a launch manager has an average salary of $111,309, which is higher than the $98,486 average annual salary of a planning manager.
The top three skills for a launch manager include project management, lifecycle management and APQP. The most important skills for a planning manager are project management, customer service, and strong analytical.
| Launch Manager | Planning Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $111,309 | $98,486 |
| Hourly rate | $53.51 | $47.35 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 109,170 | 137,190 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
A launch manager is primarily in charge of overseeing and spearheading the efforts in introducing new products and services to the market. Their responsibilities include setting objectives, performing research and analysis to establish marketing plans, coordinating with different teams in finding and developing marketing opportunities, managing timelines and budgets, supervising promotional procedures, and conducting inspections to ensure the quality and readiness of products and services for launch. Furthermore, as a launch manager, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Planning managers perform various duties and responsibilities for an organization. These include planning and monitoring a project or department's budget, production schedule, and inventory, creating reports of new plans, programs, and regulations, and ensuring development proposals comply with requirements and regulations. Additionally, planning managers are expected to serve as an intermediary between developers, government entities, businesses, and communities. They also oversee site plans, rezoning, and special-use permits, set schedules for the project, and supervise other personnel such as developers and consultants.
Launch managers and planning managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Launch Manager | Planning Manager | |
| Average salary | $111,309 | $98,486 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $171,000 | Between $71,000 And $135,000 |
| Highest paying City | Annapolis, MD | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | ZS |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a launch manager and a planning manager in terms of educational background:
| Launch Manager | Planning Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between launch managers' and planning managers' demographics:
| Launch Manager | Planning Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.4% Female, 26.6% | Male, 64.1% Female, 35.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |