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Project officer vs program manager

The differences between project officers and program managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a program manager has an average salary of $96,084, which is higher than the $59,291 average annual salary of a project officer.

The top three skills for a project officer include project management, technical assistance and press releases. The most important skills for a program manager are project management, program management, and oversight.

Project officer vs program manager overview

Project OfficerProgram Manager
Yearly salary$59,291$96,084
Hourly rate$28.51$46.19
Growth rate-8%12%
Number of jobs127,352197,556
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

What does a project officer do?

A project officer provides vital support to a project by monitoring deadlines for each project task and closely monitors the project schedule. They work with the project manager and other team members to reach the project target. They can work in almost every field of industry, such as construction, communications, education, and even sales. They can also do administrative tasks, including arranging team meetings, file project documents to the database, and technological skills, and they report directly to the Project Manager to assess project progress and to discuss future steps.

What does a program manager do?

A program manager is responsible for monitoring the project's progress, improving and developing new strategies, and coordinate various projects across the organization to ensure the success of the business objective. Program managers also manage the program's expenses, ensuring that the projects adhere to the budget goals without compromising the quality and accuracy of the result. A program manager should regularly connect with the different teams of every project under the program to keep track of the processes and procedures for the timely delivery of the product.

Project officer vs program manager salary

Project officers and program managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Project OfficerProgram Manager
Average salary$59,291$96,084
Salary rangeBetween $41,000 And $84,000Between $65,000 And $141,000
Highest paying CityBaltimore, MDSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateRhode IslandCalifornia
Best paying companyMorgan StanleyMeta
Best paying industryHealth CareTechnology

Differences between project officer and program manager education

There are a few differences between a project officer and a program manager in terms of educational background:

Project OfficerProgram Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Project officer vs program manager demographics

Here are the differences between project officers' and program managers' demographics:

Project OfficerProgram Manager
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 65.5% Female, 34.5%Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between project officer and program manager duties and responsibilities

Project officer example responsibilities.

  • Lead project to create a PMO data warehouse for analysts to track, validate, analyze and manage day-to-day portfolio activities.
  • Manage repository of SharePoint site to update and monitor inventory.
  • Lead multiple projects, including developing a SharePoint information portal.
  • Manage quality assurance checks for FDA and internal audits which result in no documentation/information error and successful completion of the audits.
  • Review and provide analysis statements on RFP and subsequent contractor responses to RFP.
  • Design and implement an algorithm to crawl over LinkedIn API and merge them using python program.
  • Show more

Program manager example responsibilities.

  • Lead managed services provider engagement of onshore and offshore interactive development and QA for pharmaceutical marketing department.
  • Lead multiple team workshops and initiate RFP proposals.
  • Manage the work process across projects as per PMI standards.
  • Develop, manage, and oversee EMBA study abroad in-residencies to Asia.
  • Manage content updates for all salesforce marketing materials, print and digital.
  • Manage the service level expectations with client agencies by monitoring and assessment establish KPIs, agreements and contracts.
  • Show more

Project officer vs program manager skills

Common project officer skills
  • Project Management, 18%
  • Technical Assistance, 9%
  • Press Releases, 7%
  • Project Proposals, 7%
  • Logistical Support, 6%
  • Financial Reports, 6%
Common program manager skills
  • Project Management, 11%
  • Program Management, 11%
  • Oversight, 6%
  • Customer Service, 4%
  • Infrastructure, 3%
  • Excellent Organizational, 3%

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