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The differences between scrum masters and project management leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a scrum master and a project management lead. Additionally, a scrum master has an average salary of $86,329, which is higher than the $85,117 average annual salary of a project management lead.
The top three skills for a scrum master include jira, software development and agile scrum. The most important skills for a project management lead are project management, customer service, and portfolio.
| Scrum Master | Project Management Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $86,329 | $85,117 |
| Hourly rate | $41.50 | $40.92 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 44,670 | 158,441 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A scrum master is a job that's rooted in leadership. It is the scrum master's responsibility to ensure a scrum process over the development of a project. They are not directly involved in the decision-making but guide the team in completing the scrum process with their experience and expertise. Also, a scrum master must be adept at being agile in approaching a project and also be able to schedule meetings during the process. In addition, the scrum master acts as a coach as well, helping the scrum teamwork cross-functionally.
A project management lead is in charge of overseeing all processes involved in the planning and delivery of projects in an organization. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating departments and personnel involved in every project to ensure accuracy and timeliness, managing budget and expenditures, producing progress reports and presentations, assessing risks, and delivering optimal quality results. Furthermore, as a management lead, it is crucial to lead and encourage team members, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Scrum masters and project management leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Scrum Master | Project Management Lead | |
| Average salary | $86,329 | $85,117 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $114,000 | Between $53,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | ICE Mortgage Technology | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Energy |
There are a few differences between a scrum master and a project management lead in terms of educational background:
| Scrum Master | Project Management Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between scrum masters' and project management leads' demographics:
| Scrum Master | Project Management Lead | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3% | Male, 59.2% Female, 40.8% |
| 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% |