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The differences between planning specialists and managers-strategic planning can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a planning specialist, becoming a manager-strategic planning takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a manager-strategic planning has an average salary of $123,429, which is higher than the $69,170 average annual salary of a planning specialist.
The top three skills for a planning specialist include customer service, logistics and project management. The most important skills for a manager-strategic planning are project management, portfolio, and business development.
| Planning Specialist | Manager-Strategic Planning | |
| Yearly salary | $69,170 | $123,429 |
| Hourly rate | $33.25 | $59.34 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 31,008 | 105,312 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 10 |
A planning specialist is responsible for monitoring the project management procedures of an organization's operations, ensuring that the team meets budget goals and deadline deliverables. Planning specialists coordinate with suppliers and other third-party vendors for materials needed in the operations, as well as inspecting the efficiency and performance of equipment to prevent delays. They also manage the team's adherence to production schedule, task delegations, and output deliveries. A planning specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing progress reports and performing other related administrative duties.
Manager-strategic planning is in charge of devising strategies to help a company navigate through its short and long-term goals. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of company operations, determine the needs of every department, and develop strategic solutions for optimal services. They may also perform risk assessments, analyze the performance of competitors, evaluate the performance of the workforce, and recommend new policies, all in adherence to the company's vision and mission.
Planning specialists and managers-strategic planning have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Planning Specialist | Manager-Strategic Planning | |
| Average salary | $69,170 | $123,429 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $97,000 | Between $87,000 And $173,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rockville, MD | Las Vegas, NV |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Meta | Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Media |
There are a few differences between a planning specialist and a manager-strategic planning in terms of educational background:
| Planning Specialist | Manager-Strategic Planning | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between planning specialists' and managers-strategic planning' demographics:
| Planning Specialist | Manager-Strategic Planning | |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5% | Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 11.3% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 9% | 10% |