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The differences between project leaders and senior leaders 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 senior leader. Additionally, a senior leader has an average salary of $114,328, 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 senior leader are java, project management, and architecture.
| Project Leader | Senior Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $98,559 | $114,328 |
| Hourly rate | $47.38 | $54.97 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 221,165 | 214,805 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| 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.
A senior leader specializes in overseeing the business operations and work progress within a particular department or office. Focusing on the workflow and the workforce, they are in charge of assessing performances and motivating staff to meet goals and stay within the allotted time and budget. They may also participate in the hiring and training of new employees, utilizing their talents and shaping them into valuable members of the workforce, all while implementing company rules and regulations.
Project leaders and senior leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Leader | Senior Leader | |
| Average salary | $98,559 | $114,328 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $138,000 | Between $80,000 And $162,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Boston Consulting Group | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a project leader and a senior leader in terms of educational background:
| Project Leader | Senior Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between project leaders' and senior leaders' demographics:
| Project Leader | Senior Leader | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.0% Female, 31.0% | Male, 71.2% Female, 28.8% |
| 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, 10.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.6% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |