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The differences between project specialists and contract project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a contract project manager has an average salary of $81,263, which is higher than the $65,993 average annual salary of a project specialist.
The top three skills for a project specialist include customer service, project management and project proposals. The most important skills for a contract project manager are project management, project scope, and contract project.
| Project Specialist | Contract Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $65,993 | $81,263 |
| Hourly rate | $31.73 | $39.07 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 99,583 | 159,765 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | - | 8 |
A project specialist's role is to ensure that a project or program's completion is within the allotted time and budget. They are primarily responsible for devising plans and strategies to quicken the pace of production or processes involved, creating a comprehensive schedule, monitoring the progress and producing reports, tracking the budget and expenditures, and coordinating with all department personnel. Moreover, a project specialist may also schedule and attend meetings, all while adhering to the company's policies and standards.
A contract project manager is an executive professional who provides project management and business analysis to fill the needs of an organization. Contract project managers are required to monitor and inspect contract projects to maintain a high level of safety and quality traffic control in highly variable conditions. They assist contract project administration with the review of project progress reports. Contract project managers must also manage the relationship between clients and the organization while monitoring the progress of the project to ensure that it complies with the terms of the corporate contract.
Project specialists and contract project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Specialist | Contract Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $65,993 | $81,263 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $103,000 | Between $53,000 And $124,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Meta | PRO Unlimited |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a project specialist and a contract project manager in terms of educational background:
| Project Specialist | Contract Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo |
Here are the differences between project specialists' and contract project managers' demographics:
| Project Specialist | Contract Project Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.7% Female, 53.3% | Male, 66.1% Female, 33.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.8% White, 70.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 4% |