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Project leader vs project team lead

The differences between project leaders and project team leads 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 a project team lead. Additionally, a project team lead has an average salary of $105,306, 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 a project team lead are project management, R, and project scope.

Project leader vs project team lead overview

Project LeaderProject Team Lead
Yearly salary$98,559$105,306
Hourly rate$47.38$50.63
Growth rate9%10%
Number of jobs221,165125,539
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age4444
Years of experience66

What does a project leader do?

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.

What does a project team lead do?

A project team lead sets up the expectations for the team members. Project team leads are in charge of setting the direction for the team members. They see to it that the members will not stray from the team's goals. They lead and engage in project works. It is their job to maintain the dynamics of the team. It is their aim not to fail in their management and leadership skills. They need to have conflict and resolution skills, communication skills, attention to detail, and patience.

Project leader vs project team lead salary

Project leaders and project team leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

Project LeaderProject Team Lead
Average salary$98,559$105,306
Salary rangeBetween $70,000 And $138,000Between $80,000 And $137,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyBoston Consulting GroupCiti
Best paying industryProfessionalFinance

Differences between project leader and project team lead education

There are a few differences between a project leader and a project team lead in terms of educational background:

Project LeaderProject Team Lead
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Project leader vs project team lead demographics

Here are the differences between project leaders' and project team leads' demographics:

Project LeaderProject Team Lead
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 69.0% Female, 31.0%Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage11%11%

Differences between project leader and project team lead duties and responsibilities

Project leader example responsibilities.

  • Lead and manage the automation effort for the PeopleSoft financials modules ensuring the desired requirement (s) coverage.
  • Lead the installation of VSAM file extension software that facilitate files larger than native VSAM specs.
  • Lead sprint planning, daily scrum, sprint review, sprint retrospective, scrum of scrum meetings.
  • Play a similar role for an ASP.NET web application (APA) which manages power plant availability information.
  • Manage using PMI methodologies though life cycle ensuring projects successfully complete within plan budget, schedule and scope.
  • Prepare RFP, evaluate bids, select vendor, negotiate contract, acquire hardware and software, manage development & implementation.
  • Show more

Project team lead example responsibilities.

  • Manage UAT, build test plans, regression testing, compile results, training.
  • Lead the program integration effort for a major conversion / upgrade of ERP software for military aircraft production programs.
  • Design SharePoint Wiki sites, and manage SharePoint environment.
  • Manage RFP large scale network/infrastructure relate expansion, integration, and/or decommissioning projects.
  • Lead team that develop an integrate database with a web-base user interface that allow repair crews in locating information and equipment.
  • Design and implement SQL data table setup and program financial and payroll system interfaces.
  • Show more

Project leader vs project team lead skills

Common project leader skills
  • Project Management, 17%
  • Work Ethic, 7%
  • C++, 4%
  • C #, 4%
  • Project Plan, 4%
  • Status Reports, 3%
Common project team lead skills
  • Project Management, 15%
  • R, 8%
  • Project Scope, 6%
  • Logistics, 6%
  • Database, 5%
  • HVAC, 5%

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