Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between release managers and project management specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a release manager, becoming a project management specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a release manager has an average salary of $109,886, which is higher than the $81,204 average annual salary of a project management specialist.
The top three skills for a release manager include release management, project management and software development. The most important skills for a project management specialist are PMP, powerpoint, and status reports.
| Release Manager | Project Management Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $109,886 | $81,204 |
| Hourly rate | $52.83 | $39.04 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 38,547 | 145,872 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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 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.
Release managers and project management specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Release Manager | Project Management Specialist | |
| Average salary | $109,886 | $81,204 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $147,000 | Between $58,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Bridgewater, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | Enbridge |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Finance |
There are a few differences between a release manager and a project management specialist in terms of educational background:
| Release Manager | Project Management Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between release managers' and project management specialists' demographics:
| Release Manager | Project Management Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.4% Female, 38.6% | Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6% |
| 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, 8.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 11.8% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 12% |