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The differences between project leaders and technical 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 a technical project manager. Additionally, a technical project manager has an average salary of $108,205, 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 technical project manager are project management, technical project, and scrum.
| Project Leader | Technical Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $98,559 | $108,205 |
| Hourly rate | $47.38 | $52.02 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 221,165 | 209,820 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| 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.
The role of technical project managers is to oversee the planning and management of projects within a company. They are considered as the lead subject matter expert in terms of technology concerns. They have varied duties that include ensuring the completion of projects within an established budget and time frame, hiring and training support members, and improving resource management and project planning. They also communicate with stakeholders and collaborate with other departments, all to attain a common goal.
Project leaders and technical project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Leader | Technical Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $98,559 | $108,205 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $138,000 | Between $81,000 And $142,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Boston Consulting Group | Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a project leader and a technical project manager in terms of educational background:
| Project Leader | Technical Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between project leaders' and technical project managers' demographics:
| Project Leader | Technical Project Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.0% Female, 31.0% | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% |
| 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, 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% |