Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between project leaders and information technology project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a project leader and an information technology project manager. Additionally, an information technology project manager has an average salary of $106,981, which is higher than the $98,559 average annual salary of a project leader.
The top three skills for a project leader include project management, work ethic and C++. The most important skills for an information technology project manager are project management, infrastructure, and scrum.
| Project Leader | Information Technology Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $98,559 | $106,981 |
| Hourly rate | $47.38 | $51.43 |
| Growth rate | 9% | - |
| Number of jobs | 221,165 | 207,249 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A project leader is responsible for supervising the team and managing the distribution of tasks to ensure the project's success with the highest efficiency and accuracy. Duties of a project leader include motivating the team, managing the team's needs and concerns, providing effective strategies to improve the team's performance, creating reports, monitoring the team's progress, and maintaining the coordination between team members. A project leader should have exceptional leadership skills to handle the team's operation and identify areas of improvement to deliver excellent results.
An information technology project manager is responsible for supervising the technology department, ensuring that all tasks are being done by following technological strategies and solutions. Information technology project managers' duties include monitoring the technology team's daily operation, handling team members' concerns, managing customers' inquiries and complaints, helping team members' in achieving their professional growth, creating reports, sharing updates during team and board meetings, and maintaining effectivity of operational procedures. An information technology project manager must have excellent leadership and decision-making skills to decide on the best strategies in meeting the company's objectives.
Project leaders and information technology project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Leader | Information Technology Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $98,559 | $106,981 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $138,000 | Between $76,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Boston Consulting Group | Reed Smith |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a project leader and an information technology project manager in terms of educational background:
| Project Leader | Information Technology Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between project leaders' and information technology project managers' demographics:
| Project Leader | Information Technology Project Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.0% Female, 31.0% | Male, 66.4% Female, 33.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |