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The differences between product line directors and product line managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a product line director and a product line manager. Additionally, a product line director has an average salary of $138,939, which is higher than the $97,237 average annual salary of a product line manager.
The top three skills for a product line director include project management, service line and oversight. The most important skills for a product line manager are product management, customer service, and PLM.
| Product Line Director | Product Line Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $138,939 | $97,237 |
| Hourly rate | $66.80 | $46.75 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 155,656 | 158,908 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
Product line director positions will require good skills in project management, product development, and business development. Those who choose this career path will be called on to maintain a portfolio of all the company products and product lines--specifically, be responsible for creating, tracking, and monitoring all existing products with the company's portfolio.
A product line manager is an individual who provides product and market intelligence by increasing the market share of a company. Product line managers must create competitive analysis and interpret market trends so that they can provide recommendations and guidance to the company. They are required to identify target markets and should come up with strategies for market penetration. Product line managers must also monitor the creation and development of new products as well as to measure the success of the products in the market.
Product line directors and product line managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Line Director | Product Line Manager | |
| Average salary | $138,939 | $97,237 |
| Salary range | Between $94,000 And $204,000 | Between $52,000 And $178,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Stanford Health Care | ON Semiconductor |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Energy |
There are a few differences between a product line director and a product line manager in terms of educational background:
| Product Line Director | Product Line Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Wisconsin - Madison | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between product line directors' and product line managers' demographics:
| Product Line Director | Product Line Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.4% Female, 27.6% | Male, 78.8% Female, 21.2% |
| 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% |