Program lead vs manager, project director

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

Program lead vs manager, project director overview

	Program Lead	Manager, Project Director
Yearly salary	$100,727	$104,614
Hourly rate	$48.43	$50.30
Growth rate	10%	-
Number of jobs	61,632	162,781
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
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 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 lead vs manager, project director salary

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

	Program Lead	Manager, Project Director
Average salary	$100,727	$104,614
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $171,000	Between $67,000 And $161,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	New York	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Netflix	Cambridge Associates
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between program lead and manager, project director education

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

	Program Lead	Manager, Project Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Program lead vs manager, project director demographics

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

	Program Lead	Manager, Project Director
Average age	42	47
Gender ratio	Male, 40.9% Female, 59.1%	Male, 69.8% Female, 30.2%
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, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	10%

Differences between program lead and manager, project director 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.

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 lead vs manager, project director skills

Common program lead skills

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

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 Lead vs Manager, Project Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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