Management associate vs project management lead

The differences between management associates and project management leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project management lead has an average salary of $85,117, 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 management lead are project management, customer service, and portfolio.

Management associate vs project management lead overview

	Management Associate	Project Management Lead
Yearly salary	$83,566	$85,117
Hourly rate	$40.18	$40.92
Growth rate	17%	11%
Number of jobs	84,397	158,441
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	47	44
Years of experience	-	6

What does a management associate do?

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.

What does a project management lead do?

A project management lead is in charge of overseeing all processes involved in the planning and delivery of projects in an organization. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating departments and personnel involved in every project to ensure accuracy and timeliness, managing budget and expenditures, producing progress reports and presentations, assessing risks, and delivering optimal quality results. Furthermore, as a management lead, it is crucial to lead and encourage team members, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Management associate vs project management lead salary

Management associates and project management leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Management Associate	Project Management Lead
Average salary	$83,566	$85,117
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $136,000	Between $53,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City	Westport, CT	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New Jersey
Best paying company	The Citadel	Meta
Best paying industry	Finance	Energy

Differences between management associate and project management lead education

There are a few differences between a management associate and a project management lead in terms of educational background:

	Management Associate	Project Management Lead
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Management associate vs project management lead demographics

Here are the differences between management associates' and project management leads' demographics:

	Management Associate	Project Management Lead
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1%	Male, 59.2% Female, 40.8%
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, 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	10%	11%

Differences between management associate and project management lead duties and responsibilities

Management associate example responsibilities.

Manage A/R, A/P, capital assets, and security deposits.
Manage the rehabilitation of homes and lead abatement of existing homes.
Value add services through managing partnerships with functional business teams to support client ROI.
Manage and execute the entire SDLC search for a single core products processing vendor.
Manage CAPA, document control, internal audit, complaint handling and training programs.
Lead team of PMs to deliver fast-pace web site dev projects to drive revenue and market share.

Project management lead example responsibilities.

Manage system architecture design, software development and QA testing process.
Direct and oversee multiple PMs and/or team leads on complex projects.
Manage and maintain all financial responsibilities including receivables, payroll, taxation, budgeting, internal audit and compliance and bookkeeping.
Plan, develop, and lead cross-functional project teams to develop and implement infrastructure solutions and product offerings using PMI methodology.
Manage several mechanical retrofit projects for Verizon.
Manage ITIL process implementation review of change and configuration management.

Management associate vs project management lead skills

Common management associate skills

Customer Service, 16%
Portfolio, 7%
Risk Management, 6%
Patients, 6%
Strong Analytical, 5%
Project Management, 5%

Common project management lead skills

Project Management, 12%
Customer Service, 10%
Portfolio, 6%
Risk Management, 6%
Plumbing, 5%
Organizational Change Management, 4%

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Executive Management Industry
Management Associate
Management Associate vs Project Management Lead

Updated January 8, 2025

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