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The differences between senior compensation analysts and senior managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior compensation analyst and a senior manager. Additionally, a senior manager has an average salary of $118,906, which is higher than the $85,796 average annual salary of a senior compensation analyst.
The top three skills for a senior compensation analyst include compensation programs, human resources and HRIS. The most important skills for a senior manager are analytics, project management, and portfolio.
| Senior Compensation Analyst | Senior Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $85,796 | $118,906 |
| Hourly rate | $41.25 | $57.17 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 17,361 | 372,801 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior compensation analyst is primarily in charge of developing and maintaining compensation programs for a company's employees. Their responsibilities revolve around performing extensive research and analysis to identify employee needs, understanding the extent of every workforce position, conducting surveys, improving existing programs, and learning the compensation programs of competitors. Furthermore, as a senior compensation analyst, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals and serve as a mentor to junior analysts, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A senior manager is responsible for directing the overall efficiency of business operations. Senior managers monitor the performance of the staff, improve operational strategies, identify business opportunities, allocate budgets and resources, present reports to senior management, set goals to drive results on increasing the company's revenues and profitability. Senior managers must coordinate with various operations departments to maintain good feedback for the company, meeting client's expectations, and delivering the best results. They should have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle team members, as well as managing their needs and concerns.
Senior compensation analysts and senior managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Compensation Analyst | Senior Manager | |
| Average salary | $85,796 | $118,906 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $116,000 | Between $86,000 And $163,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Wedbush Securities | Cornerstone Research |
| Best paying industry | Real Estate | Professional |
There are a few differences between a senior compensation analyst and a senior manager in terms of educational background:
| Senior Compensation Analyst | Senior Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior compensation analysts' and senior managers' demographics:
| Senior Compensation Analyst | Senior Manager | |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.8% Female, 65.2% | Male, 67.5% Female, 32.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 10% |