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The differences between principal product managers and vice presidents, product management can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a principal product manager and a vice president, product management. Additionally, a vice president, product management has an average salary of $183,231, which is higher than the $145,943 average annual salary of a principal product manager.
The top three skills for a principal product manager include product management, QA and product development. The most important skills for a vice president, product management are product management, analytics, and product strategy.
| Principal Product Manager | Vice President, Product Management | |
| Yearly salary | $145,943 | $183,231 |
| Hourly rate | $70.16 | $88.09 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 143,985 | 185,361 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
The duties of a principal product manager depend on one's place or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing the organization's product roadmap, devising strategies for optimal operations and services, and managing production and marketing communications. They must also coordinate with different research scientists and engineers to develop systems and networks that will increase profitability and assist in meeting consumers' needs. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage teams, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A vice president of product management is responsible for handling the overall operational decisions of product deliverables, creating strategic procedures for product marketing strategy, and ensuring that the outputs provide the highest customer satisfaction. The vice president of product management monitors the department's budget, allocating adequate resources to every team to support operational promotions and research on current market trends. They also adjust product management approaches to meet the company's goals and objectives and identify opportunities to increase revenues and profitability.
Principal product managers and vice presidents, product management have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Product Manager | Vice President, Product Management | |
| Average salary | $145,943 | $183,231 |
| Salary range | Between $106,000 And $199,000 | Between $127,000 And $262,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Brex | Okta |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a principal product manager and a vice president, product management in terms of educational background:
| Principal Product Manager | Vice President, Product Management | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between principal product managers' and vice presidents, product management' demographics:
| Principal Product Manager | Vice President, Product Management | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.9% Female, 26.1% | Male, 80.9% Female, 19.1% |
| 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% |