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The differences between program leads and program/project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a program/project manager has an average salary of $101,850, 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 program/project manager are project management, program management, and PMP.
| Program Lead | Program/Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $100,727 | $101,850 |
| Hourly rate | $48.43 | $48.97 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 61,632 | 243,017 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
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.
The program manager and project manager are two important positions within a company that are thought to be similar. However, program managers direct diverse projects and programs while project managers head the team who is responsible for ensuring a project is completed on time and within budget. Program managers are responsible for the conveyance of the company goals and generally act as a customer interface that helps clients get their desired update and change of a project. Project managers, on the other hand, focus on the project's schedule, scope, and resources needed to complete it on time.
Program leads and program/project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Lead | Program/Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $100,727 | $101,850 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $171,000 | Between $74,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Netflix | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a program lead and a program/project manager in terms of educational background:
| Program Lead | Program/Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between program leads' and program/project managers' demographics:
| Program Lead | Program/Project Manager | |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.9% Female, 59.1% | Male, 62.0% Female, 38.0% |
| 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, 12.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 10% |