Program lead vs director, program manager

The differences between program leads 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 $100,727 average annual salary of a program lead.

The top three skills for a program lead include project management, HR and work ethic. The most important skills for a director, program manager are program management, project management, and oversight.

Program lead vs director, program manager overview

	Program Lead	Director, Program Manager
Yearly salary	$100,727	$107,861
Hourly rate	$48.43	$51.86
Growth rate	10%	12%
Number of jobs	61,632	163,036
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	42	47
Years of experience	4	-

What does a program lead do?

A program lead is responsible for managing a business program's operation from its conceptualization to implementation. Program leads must have excellent communication and researching skills to monitor current industry trends, adjusting program techniques and strategies to meet society's demands. They have a clear understanding of the organization's long-term goals and outline plans to define those objectives, bringing new programs to light following clients' specifications that would help the business grow revenues, maintain customer satisfaction, and keep its good reputation, and achieve profitability goals.

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 lead vs director, program manager salary

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

	Program Lead	Director, Program Manager
Average salary	$100,727	$107,861
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $171,000	Between $67,000 And $173,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Jersey City, NJ
Highest paying state	New York	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Netflix	Capgemini
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between program lead and director, program manager education

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

	Program Lead	Director, Program Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Program lead vs director, program manager demographics

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

	Program Lead	Director, Program Manager
Average age	42	47
Gender ratio	Male, 40.9% Female, 59.1%	Male, 52.3% Female, 47.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	8%	10%

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

Program lead example responsibilities.

Assess instructor effectiveness in achieving client ISP objectives.
Manage security and access policies base upon operational need-to-know and DOD regulations and requirements
Conduct daily clinical documentation audits, manage consumer financial accounts, provide oversight and approval for all treatment and discharge planning.
Up to date on CPR, trauma medical aid and restraints holds.
Know basics of first aid and CPR, have not receive certification yet.
Evaluate quarterly expenditure reports and project budgets, and release money to local NGOs.

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 lead vs director, program manager skills

Common program lead skills

Project Management, 13%
HR, 11%
Work Ethic, 10%
CPR, 8%
Customer Satisfaction, 7%
Customer Service, 5%

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 Lead vs Director, Program Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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