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The differences between managers, project director and contract project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a manager, project director has an average salary of $104,614, which is higher than the $81,263 average annual salary of a contract project manager.
The top three skills for a manager, project director include project management, infrastructure and construction management. The most important skills for a contract project manager are project management, project scope, and contract project.
| Manager, Project Director | Contract Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $104,614 | $81,263 |
| Hourly rate | $50.30 | $39.07 |
| Growth rate | - | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 162,781 | 159,765 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Years of experience | - | 8 |
A manager, project director monitors building progress, oversees finances, and ensures project quality. They make strategic decisions and provide leadership and direct project managers with feedback to put those decisions into practice. Project directors update project managers, stakeholders, and clients about project progress. Besides building robust working relationships and liaising with clients, these professionals also enable successful project completion by creating cost-effective plans. Manager, project directors manage risks to prevent reputational damage and delays. Moreover, these professionals ensure legal papers and permits get secured before starting the project.
A contract project manager is an executive professional who provides project management and business analysis to fill the needs of an organization. Contract project managers are required to monitor and inspect contract projects to maintain a high level of safety and quality traffic control in highly variable conditions. They assist contract project administration with the review of project progress reports. Contract project managers must also manage the relationship between clients and the organization while monitoring the progress of the project to ensure that it complies with the terms of the corporate contract.
Managers, project director and contract project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manager, Project Director | Contract Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $104,614 | $81,263 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $161,000 | Between $53,000 And $124,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Cambridge Associates | PRO Unlimited |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a manager, project director and a contract project manager in terms of educational background:
| Manager, Project Director | Contract Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo |
Here are the differences between managers, project director' and contract project managers' demographics:
| Manager, Project Director | Contract Project Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.8% Female, 30.2% | Male, 66.1% Female, 33.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.8% White, 70.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 4% |