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The differences between management associates and project directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project director has an average salary of $107,396, which is higher than the $83,566 average annual salary of a management associate.
The top three skills for a management associate include customer service, portfolio and risk management. The most important skills for a project director are project management, oversight, and customer satisfaction.
| Management Associate | Project Director | |
| Yearly salary | $83,566 | $107,396 |
| Hourly rate | $40.18 | $51.63 |
| Growth rate | 17% | - |
| Number of jobs | 84,397 | 116,968 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A management associate is responsible for assisting the management operations, supporting administrative and clerical tasks, and coordinating with other departments for project support to meet the organization's objectives and profitability goals. Management associates often respond to clients' inquiries and concerns on behalf of the executives, documenting their needs, and immediately escalating high-level complaints to appropriate personnel. They also meet with suppliers and other third-party vendors, negotiating contracts for business needs. A management associate must have excellent communication, be organized, and have time-management skills to perform duties in a fast-paced environment.
A project director is an individual responsible for supervising workers from various departments given specific tasks to complete a given project. They create a budget to complete a job while monitoring the amount of money spent to ensure that overspending is avoided. They provide presentations to investors, business partners, and company executives to inform them about their progress and development. Project directors must have several years of experience and obtain at least a bachelor's degree in business economics or a related field to be hired.
Management associates and project directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Management Associate | Project Director | |
| Average salary | $83,566 | $107,396 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $136,000 | Between $70,000 And $162,000 |
| Highest paying City | Westport, CT | Las Vegas, NV |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Nevada |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Fried Frank |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a management associate and a project director in terms of educational background:
| Management Associate | Project Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between management associates' and project directors' demographics:
| Management Associate | Project Director | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% | Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |