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The differences between program managers and directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a director has an average salary of $113,489, which is higher than the $96,084 average annual salary of a program manager.
The top three skills for a program manager include project management, program management and oversight. The most important skills for a director are healthcare, customer service, and oversight.
| Program Manager | Director | |
| Yearly salary | $96,084 | $113,489 |
| Hourly rate | $46.19 | $54.56 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 197,556 | 230,711 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
A program manager is responsible for monitoring the project's progress, improving and developing new strategies, and coordinate various projects across the organization to ensure the success of the business objective. Program managers also manage the program's expenses, ensuring that the projects adhere to the budget goals without compromising the quality and accuracy of the result. A program manager should regularly connect with the different teams of every project under the program to keep track of the processes and procedures for the timely delivery of the product.
Directors work in show business, whether in a film, a television show, or a theatre production. They are responsible for bringing the material to life. They work with the writers to get a clear vision of how the production should look. They lead the production team in planning for the production, identifying filming or rehearsing schedules, casting for roles, and other aspects that need to be decided upon. Directors provide direction to the actors to ensure that the actors understand their role and will be able to effectively convey emotions to the audience. They also manage all other crew members and communicate their expectations clearly so that everyone on the set is working towards one vision.
Program managers and directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Manager | Director | |
| Average salary | $96,084 | $113,489 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $141,000 | Between $66,000 And $192,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Meta | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a program manager and a director in terms of educational background:
| Program Manager | Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between program managers' and directors' demographics:
| Program Manager | Director | |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1% | Male, 53.2% Female, 46.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 14% |