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The differences between program management specialists and special projects managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special projects manager has an average salary of $90,221, which is higher than the $82,591 average annual salary of a program management specialist.
The top three skills for a program management specialist include project management, DOD and powerpoint. The most important skills for a special projects manager are project management, logistics, and financial statements.
| Program Management Specialist | Special Projects Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $82,591 | $90,221 |
| Hourly rate | $39.71 | $43.38 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 152,144 | 114,925 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A project management specialist is responsible for overseeing different programs and projects within a company, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically revolve around identifying project needs, participating in setting goals and objectives, managing schedules and budgets, performing risk and cost assessments, and producing progress reports and presentations for the directors and other executives. Furthermore, a project management specialist may also perform research and analysis to find new business opportunities and liaise with clients to generate sales.
A Special Projects Department is a vital part of the research and development branch in a company to design and create new products and services for customers to use. The special projects manager's responsibility is to request and allocate funds, personnel, and a specialist to the project. This person is also obligated to monitor and generate reports on the project's status and update the company management on the special project's daily status.
Program management specialists and special projects managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Management Specialist | Special Projects Manager | |
| Average salary | $82,591 | $90,221 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $122,000 | Between $66,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | Worcester, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a program management specialist and a special projects manager in terms of educational background:
| Program Management Specialist | Special Projects Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between program management specialists' and special projects managers' demographics:
| Program Management Specialist | Special Projects Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% | Male, 61.1% Female, 38.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.6% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |