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The differences between release managers and project leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a release manager and a project leader. Additionally, a release manager has an average salary of $109,886, which is higher than the $98,559 average annual salary of a project leader.
The top three skills for a release manager include release management, project management and software development. The most important skills for a project leader are project management, work ethic, and C++.
| Release Manager | Project Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $109,886 | $98,559 |
| Hourly rate | $52.83 | $47.38 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 38,547 | 221,165 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A release manager is responsible for supervising project releases across various platforms by closely coordinating with technology and project teams, ensuring the stability and efficiency of outputs according to clients' specifications and business needs. Release managers handle the delivery management procedures from conceptualization to production, maintaining budget requirements and adherence to timetables. They also perform quality check processes to identify possible defects and inconsistencies with the deliverables and adjusting initial project plans as needed.
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.
Release managers and project leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Release Manager | Project Leader | |
| Average salary | $109,886 | $98,559 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $147,000 | Between $70,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Boston Consulting Group |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Professional |
There are a few differences between a release manager and a project leader in terms of educational background:
| Release Manager | Project Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between release managers' and project leaders' demographics:
| Release Manager | Project Leader | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.4% Female, 38.6% | Male, 69.0% Female, 31.0% |
| 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% |