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The differences between program leads and senior program associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a program lead, becoming a senior program associate takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a program lead has an average salary of $100,727, which is higher than the $56,190 average annual salary of a senior program associate.
The top three skills for a program lead include project management, HR and work ethic. The most important skills for a senior program associate are phone calls, program management, and powerpoint.
| Program Lead | Senior Program Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $100,727 | $56,190 |
| Hourly rate | $48.43 | $27.01 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 61,632 | 65,343 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 42 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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.
A senior program associate performs a variety of tasks for an organization, including conducting clinical documentation audits, overseeing and approving all treatment and discharge plans, and implementing process improvements. As a senior program associate, you will be responsible for assisting units in developing proposals and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders in producing materials such as reports and brochures. In addition, you will also be responsible for preparing and submitting reports on time and working closely with the finance department in developing needed financials.
Program leads and senior program associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Lead | Senior Program Associate | |
| Average salary | $100,727 | $56,190 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $171,000 | Between $37,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Netflix | |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a program lead and a senior program associate in terms of educational background:
| Program Lead | Senior Program Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between program leads' and senior program associates' demographics:
| Program Lead | Senior Program Associate | |
| Average age | 42 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.9% Female, 59.1% | Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7% |
| 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, 7.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.3% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 14% |