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Program officer vs program manager

The differences between program officers and program managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a program manager has an average salary of $96,084, which is higher than the $79,553 average annual salary of a program officer.

The top three skills for a program officer include project management, program management and excellent interpersonal. The most important skills for a program manager are project management, program management, and oversight.

Program officer vs program manager overview

Program OfficerProgram Manager
Yearly salary$79,553$96,084
Hourly rate$38.25$46.19
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs118,383197,556
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age4547
Years of experience6-

What does a program officer do?

A program officer is an essential part of a foundation or charitable organization. It is up to program officers to supervise program progress and proposals, seek grants, manage projects, and oversee budgets. They generally guarantee that an organization's activities and programs are met with the vision and mission statements of that foundation. It is the program officer's responsibility to complete various tasks in completing the demands of this position. Moreover, their job includes developing their staff, implementation, and daily management of activities.

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.

Program officer vs program manager salary

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

Program OfficerProgram Manager
Average salary$79,553$96,084
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $117,000Between $65,000 And $141,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyBNP ParibasMeta
Best paying industryFinanceTechnology

Differences between program officer and program manager education

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

Program OfficerProgram Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Program officer vs program manager demographics

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

Program OfficerProgram Manager
Average age4547
Gender ratioMale, 47.1% Female, 52.9%Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 14.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 5.0% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%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%
LGBT Percentage14%10%

Differences between program officer and program manager duties and responsibilities

Program officer example responsibilities.

  • Manage request for proposals (RFP) processes, and oversee contractors/vendors for research-relate activities.
  • Manage a political party strengthening program in Colombia and a civil society strengthening program in Peru from NDI's main office.
  • Lead the introduction and upgrade of wireless infrastructure at remote locations to ensure adherence with internal and international wireless standards.
  • Follow privacy guidelines (HIPAA).
  • Increase immunization coverage for the different age groups.
  • Improve store rates for hitting all internal sales and QA goals.
    • Show more

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.
    • Show more

Program officer vs program manager skills

Common program officer skills
  • Project Management, 9%
  • Program Management, 7%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 5%
  • PowerPoint, 5%
  • Public Health, 5%
  • Professional Development, 5%
Common program manager skills
  • Project Management, 11%
  • Program Management, 11%
  • Oversight, 6%
  • Customer Service, 4%
  • Infrastructure, 3%
  • Excellent Organizational, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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