Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between program managers and senior project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior project manager has an average salary of $110,947, 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 senior project manager are project management, program management, and portfolio.
| Program Manager | Senior Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $96,084 | $110,947 |
| Hourly rate | $46.19 | $53.34 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 197,556 | 183,210 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
Senior project managers are experienced employees assigned to oversee a specific project in the organization. They manage the project from conception to execution. They are onboard the project from the ideation phase, providing valuable insights to ensure the success of the project. Senior project managers are also in charge of managing the budget, ensuring that the expected timelines are followed, adjusting strategies when needed, and guiding project team members. It is important for senior project managers to be good leaders and communicators. They should be able to balance the interests of all the stakeholders involved in the project. They should have good interpersonal skills and decision-making skills.
Program managers and senior project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Manager | Senior Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $96,084 | $110,947 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $141,000 | Between $82,000 And $148,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Roku |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a program manager and a senior project manager in terms of educational background:
| Program Manager | Senior Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between program managers' and senior project managers' demographics:
| Program Manager | Senior Project Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1% | Male, 71.4% Female, 28.6% |
| 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, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |