Program manager vs engineering manager

The differences between program managers and engineering managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an engineering manager has an average salary of $139,328, 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 an engineering manager are java, project management, and continuous improvement.

Program manager vs engineering manager overview

	Program Manager	Engineering Manager
Yearly salary	$96,084	$139,328
Hourly rate	$46.19	$66.98
Growth rate	12%	2%
Number of jobs	197,556	67,124
Job satisfaction	5	4.33
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	47	48
Years of experience	-	-

What does a program manager do?

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.

What does an engineering manager do?

An engineering manager is responsible for managing the overall concept of engineering and construction projects, ensuring that the plan meets the budget goals and the client's specifications. Engineering managers approve designs, plan strategic procedures to follow the project's timetable, analyze current market trends, hire the best and efficient contractors, and coordinate with the clients for any changes and adjustments as needed. An engineering manager must have excellent knowledge of engineering disciplines, as well as leadership and communication skills, monitoring the team's performance throughout the project.

Program manager vs engineering manager salary

Program managers and engineering managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Program Manager	Engineering Manager
Average salary	$96,084	$139,328
Salary range	Between $65,000 And $141,000	Between $99,000 And $195,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Meta	Mixpanel
Best paying industry	Technology	Automotive

Differences between program manager and engineering manager education

There are a few differences between a program manager and an engineering manager in terms of educational background:

	Program Manager	Engineering Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Program manager vs engineering manager demographics

Here are the differences between program managers' and engineering managers' demographics:

	Program Manager	Engineering Manager
Average age	47	48
Gender ratio	Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1%	Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4%
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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.2% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	10%	9%

Differences between program manager and engineering manager duties and responsibilities

Program manager example responsibilities.

Lead managed services provider engagement of onshore and offshore interactive development and QA for pharmaceutical marketing department.
Lead multiple team workshops and initiate RFP proposals.
Manage the work process across projects as per PMI standards.
Develop, manage, and oversee EMBA study abroad in-residencies to Asia.
Manage content updates for all salesforce marketing materials, print and digital.
Manage the service level expectations with client agencies by monitoring and assessment establish KPIs, agreements and contracts.

Engineering manager example responsibilities.

Lead design and manage development of voice-processing system's SNMP device agent and Java management application.
Manage multiple teams of UNIX engineers and software developers.
Achieve the highest ROI of any of the company's online or offline marketing channels.
Manage geotechnical, environmental, and survey consultants in connection with due diligence for new stores.
Manage tool implementation on change, problem, configuration management, product structure, and visualization processes.
Lead cross-functional team to track and address end-of-life component issues, which greatly reduce line shortages or stoppages.Sr.

Program manager vs engineering manager skills

Common program manager skills

Project Management, 11%
Program Management, 11%
Oversight, 6%
Customer Service, 4%
Infrastructure, 3%
Excellent Organizational, 3%

Common engineering manager skills

Java, 11%
Project Management, 7%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
Software Development, 4%
C++, 4%
UL, 4%

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Program Manager
Program Manager vs Engineering Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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