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Resource manager vs project manager

The differences between resource managers and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project manager has an average salary of $91,578, which is higher than the $77,116 average annual salary of a resource manager.

The top three skills for a resource manager include customer service, resource management and project management. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.

Resource manager vs project manager overview

Resource ManagerProject Manager
Yearly salary$77,116$91,578
Hourly rate$37.08$44.03
Growth rate7%8%
Number of jobs31,477167,116
Job satisfaction-4.17
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4747
Years of experience6-

What does a resource manager do?

A resource manager's role is to provide the staffing needs of different projects, programs, and departments while coordinating with managers and supervisors. They are responsible for monitoring an employee's performance and payroll data, recommending available staff to join projects and programs, maintaining documentation and records of all transactions, and hire new staff as needed. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

What does a project manager do?

Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.

Resource manager vs project manager salary

Resource managers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Resource ManagerProject Manager
Average salary$77,116$91,578
Salary rangeBetween $54,000 And $108,000Between $64,000 And $129,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutCalifornia
Best paying companyAppleThe Citadel
Best paying industryManufacturingTechnology

Differences between resource manager and project manager education

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

Resource ManagerProject Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Resource manager vs project manager demographics

Here are the differences between resource managers' and project managers' demographics:

Resource ManagerProject Manager
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 49.5% Female, 50.5%Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage18%10%

Differences between resource manager and project manager duties and responsibilities

Resource manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage security and design of SharePoint site.
  • Manage all costs for the region and report KPI's.
  • Manage the infrastructure portion of a major CIS conversion project.
  • Manage resources for the definition and implementation of QA processes and organization structure.
  • Facilitate and manage FMLA and ADA accommodation requests, workers compensation, and unemployment claims.
  • Utilize social media (LinkedIn, Facebook) in order to generate leads and build relationships.
  • Show more

Project manager example responsibilities.

  • Schedule and manage the GCP audit process.
  • Define, develop and manage metrics and KPIs systems for new product business group.
  • Manage the application process for the FDA medical device, minority and small business certifications.
  • Manage multiple projects and resources simultaneously while mentoring, coaching and implementing best practices, SOX and HIPAA compliance standards.
  • Lead teams using the Informatica ETL tool for the design and development of multiple financial and risk enterprise data warehouses.
  • Administer and manage Salesforce requirements.
  • Show more

Resource manager vs project manager skills

Common resource manager skills
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Resource Management, 11%
  • Project Management, 10%
  • Human Resources, 6%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 5%
  • Client Facing, 5%
Common project manager skills
  • Project Management, 23%
  • Project Scope, 6%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Infrastructure, 5%
  • Status Reports, 4%
  • Risk Management, 3%

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