Program administrator vs manager, project director

The differences between program administrators and managers, project director 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 $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 manager, project director are project management, infrastructure, and construction management.

Program administrator vs manager, project director overview

	Program Administrator	Manager, Project Director
Yearly salary	$50,715	$104,614
Hourly rate	$24.38	$50.30
Growth rate	5%	-
Number of jobs	119,898	162,781
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
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 manager, project director do?

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.

Program administrator vs manager, project director salary

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

	Program Administrator	Manager, Project Director
Average salary	$50,715	$104,614
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $73,000	Between $67,000 And $161,000
Highest paying City	Urban Honolulu, HI	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Meta	Cambridge Associates
Best paying industry	Government	Finance

Differences between program administrator and manager, project director education

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

	Program Administrator	Manager, Project Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Program administrator vs manager, project director demographics

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

	Program Administrator	Manager, Project Director
Average age	43	47
Gender ratio	Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4%	Male, 69.8% Female, 30.2%
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, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	10%

Differences between program administrator and manager, project director 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.

Manager, project director example responsibilities.

Gather requirements, create RFP s, and manage the procurement process.
Manage qualitative projects from study design through analysis for consumer package goods, business-to-business, healthcare and pharmaceutical research projects.
Support sales team during RFP processes allowing for comprehensive development of solutions.
Administer PMO reviews for management board for projects status for all fund programs across the organization.
Support PMO organization, implementation and change management.
Collaborate with departmental project managers as well as contracted partners to implement new process work flows that positively impact Medicare patients.

Program administrator vs manager, project director skills

Common program administrator skills

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

Common manager, project director skills

Project Management, 20%
Infrastructure, 7%
Construction Management, 7%
Project Scope, 6%
Program Management, 5%
Logistics, 5%

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Program Administrator vs Manager, Project Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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