Program administrator vs director, program manager

The differences between program administrators and director, program managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a director, program manager has an average salary of $107,861, which is higher than the $50,715 average annual salary of a program administrator.

The top three skills for a program administrator include customer service, oversight and patients. The most important skills for a director, program manager are program management, project management, and oversight.

Program administrator vs director, program manager overview

	Program Administrator	Director, Program Manager
Yearly salary	$50,715	$107,861
Hourly rate	$24.38	$51.86
Growth rate	5%	12%
Number of jobs	119,898	163,036
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	43	47
Years of experience	2	-

What does a program administrator do?

Program administrators are responsible for planning, directing, and coordinating their organization's program or service. Their duties and responsibilities may vary depending on the industry they work at, such as educational, community, and social services. Among these duties are selecting and supervising the staff to manage a certain program or project, managing the program's budget, and evaluating the success of a program. To become successful in this role, a program administrator must have in-depth knowledge of project management disciplines, leadership skills, and decision-making and problem-solving skills.

What does a director, program manager do?

A director or program manager is in charge of spearheading and overseeing programs and projects in a company, ensuring it adheres to budgets and deadlines. It is their duty to set goals and guidelines, manage staff and deadlines, liaise with internal and external parties, coordinate managers, and monitor the progress of all efforts. They must also address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Program administrator vs director, program manager salary

Program administrators and director, program managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Program Administrator	Director, Program Manager
Average salary	$50,715	$107,861
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $73,000	Between $67,000 And $173,000
Highest paying City	Urban Honolulu, HI	Jersey City, NJ
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Meta	Capgemini
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between program administrator and director, program manager education

There are a few differences between a program administrator and a director, program manager in terms of educational background:

	Program Administrator	Director, Program Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Program administrator vs director, program manager demographics

Here are the differences between program administrators' and director, program managers' demographics:

	Program Administrator	Director, Program Manager
Average age	43	47
Gender ratio	Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4%	Male, 52.3% Female, 47.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	10%

Differences between program administrator and director, program manager duties and responsibilities

Program administrator example responsibilities.

Manage monetary, laptop and training supports for members living with HIV.
Manage overall document inventory and wiki updates via SharePoint.
Manage CRM and SharePoint systems for online recruiting technology company.
Manage co-op vendor and provide overall program direction for Toyota dealers and regional offices nationwide.
Develop and implement administrative procedures for new mental health management unit providing day services to elderly patients.
Invoice clients using QuickBooks software.

Director, program manager example responsibilities.

Lead SharePoint consulting projects and practice.
Lead the introduction and upgrade of wireless infrastructure at remote locations to ensure adherence with internal and international wireless standards.
Task with providing a gap analysis for the team in order to create a tighter structure and PMO within the organization.
Develop SharePoint site to communicate platform.
Provide oversight; develop national training center basic academy business/functional processes.
Provide weekly spiritual renewal groups where patients identify their assets and liabilities.

Program administrator vs director, program manager skills

Common program administrator skills

Customer Service, 7%
Oversight, 7%
Patients, 6%
Project Management, 6%
PowerPoint, 4%
Client Facing, 4%

Common director, program manager skills

Program Management, 12%
Project Management, 10%
Oversight, 7%
Digital Marketing, 6%
Rehabilitation, 5%
Patients, 5%

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Program Administrator vs Director, Program Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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