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The differences between project management specialists and senior project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior project manager has an average salary of $110,947, which is higher than the $81,204 average annual salary of a project management specialist.
The top three skills for a project management specialist include PMP, powerpoint and status reports. The most important skills for a senior project manager are project management, program management, and portfolio.
| Project Management Specialist | Senior Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $81,204 | $110,947 |
| Hourly rate | $39.04 | $53.34 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 145,872 | 183,210 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A project management specialist is an individual who manages an entire project and serves as a point of contact for a client or customer. Project management specialists must provide detailed cost analysis and timetable reports to keep projects on schedule and budget. They must ask for frequent updates from all staff assigned so that they can identify potential problems that may keep projects from being completed on time. Project management specialists must also prepare progress reports of projects and create presentations for senior management.
Senior project managers are experienced employees assigned to oversee a specific project in the organization. They manage the project from conception to execution. They are onboard the project from the ideation phase, providing valuable insights to ensure the success of the project. Senior project managers are also in charge of managing the budget, ensuring that the expected timelines are followed, adjusting strategies when needed, and guiding project team members. It is important for senior project managers to be good leaders and communicators. They should be able to balance the interests of all the stakeholders involved in the project. They should have good interpersonal skills and decision-making skills.
Project management specialists and senior project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Management Specialist | Senior Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $81,204 | $110,947 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $112,000 | Between $82,000 And $148,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bridgewater, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Enbridge | Roku |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a project management specialist and a senior project manager in terms of educational background:
| Project Management Specialist | Senior Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between project management specialists' and senior project managers' demographics:
| Project Management Specialist | Senior Project Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6% | Male, 71.4% Female, 28.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 11.8% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 10% |