Recreation director vs program lead

The differences between recreation directors and program leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a recreation director and a program lead. Additionally, a program lead has an average salary of $100,727, which is higher than the $48,525 average annual salary of a recreation director.

The top three skills for a recreation director include community resources, therapeutic recreation and nursing home. The most important skills for a program lead are project management, HR, and work ethic.

Recreation director vs program lead overview

	Recreation Director	Program Lead
Yearly salary	$48,525	$100,727
Hourly rate	$23.33	$48.43
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	8,479	61,632
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does a recreation director do?

Recreation directors may take part in leading activities like canoeing, wilderness first-aid, rock climbing, camping, and resource management for this dynamic career. Responsibilities include implementation and success assurance of recreation programs, as well as management of schedules for activities and facilities. They also handle the recruitment, training, and supervision of staff and volunteers.

What does a program lead do?

A program lead is responsible for managing a business program's operation from its conceptualization to implementation. Program leads must have excellent communication and researching skills to monitor current industry trends, adjusting program techniques and strategies to meet society's demands. They have a clear understanding of the organization's long-term goals and outline plans to define those objectives, bringing new programs to light following clients' specifications that would help the business grow revenues, maintain customer satisfaction, and keep its good reputation, and achieve profitability goals.

Recreation director vs program lead salary

Recreation directors and program leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Recreation Director	Program Lead
Average salary	$48,525	$100,727
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $77,000	Between $59,000 And $171,000
Highest paying City	Milpitas, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Downtown United Soccer Club	Netflix
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between recreation director and program lead education

There are a few differences between a recreation director and a program lead in terms of educational background:

	Recreation Director	Program Lead
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Recreation Management	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Recreation director vs program lead demographics

Here are the differences between recreation directors' and program leads' demographics:

	Recreation Director	Program Lead
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0%	Male, 40.9% Female, 59.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between recreation director and program lead duties and responsibilities

Recreation director example responsibilities.

Manage recreation staff and programming for assist living and rehabilitation and skil nursing facilities.
Organize and provide staff training material regarding Alzheimer's disease.
Conduct monthly resident council meetings, daily initial evaluations, standard MDS and interdisciplinary care plan documentation.
Advance technical knowledge of all office equipment including Microsoft office and POS systems.
Expand programming, develop outdoor adventure programs, and maintain current city programs.
Design and layout seasonal brochure, create flyers, signs and periodically upload recreation information to town website.

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Program lead example responsibilities.

Assess instructor effectiveness in achieving client ISP objectives.
Manage security and access policies base upon operational need-to-know and DOD regulations and requirements
Conduct daily clinical documentation audits, manage consumer financial accounts, provide oversight and approval for all treatment and discharge planning.
Up to date on CPR, trauma medical aid and restraints holds.
Know basics of first aid and CPR, have not receive certification yet.
Evaluate quarterly expenditure reports and project budgets, and release money to local NGOs.

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Recreation director vs program lead skills

Common recreation director skills

Community Resources, 15%
Therapeutic Recreation, 14%
Nursing Home, 14%
Customer Service, 10%
Provides Supervision, 7%
Recreation Programs, 5%

Common program lead skills

Project Management, 13%
HR, 11%
Work Ethic, 10%
CPR, 8%
Customer Satisfaction, 7%
Customer Service, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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