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Senior contracts negotiator vs project specialist

The differences between senior contracts negotiators and project specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior contracts negotiator has an average salary of $67,342, which is higher than the $65,993 average annual salary of a project specialist.

The top three skills for a senior contracts negotiator include contract administration, proposal preparation and contract terms. The most important skills for a project specialist are customer service, project management, and project proposals.

Senior contracts negotiator vs project specialist overview

Senior Contracts NegotiatorProject Specialist
Yearly salary$67,342$65,993
Hourly rate$32.38$31.73
Growth rate-6%10%
Number of jobs8,01099,583
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4444
Years of experience--

What does a senior contracts negotiator do?

A senior contracts negotiator takes responsibility for providing contract leadership between parties. Senior contracts negotiators see to it that the contract responsibilities agreed upon are compliant with both the policies of both parties. They investigate and define the problem areas, perform research, and prepare reports with recommended solutions. Their job requires them to coordinate and support all contract management aspects such as the preparation, management, and administration of contract negotiation proposals.

What does a project specialist do?

A project specialist's role is to ensure that a project or program's completion is within the allotted time and budget. They are primarily responsible for devising plans and strategies to quicken the pace of production or processes involved, creating a comprehensive schedule, monitoring the progress and producing reports, tracking the budget and expenditures, and coordinating with all department personnel. Moreover, a project specialist may also schedule and attend meetings, all while adhering to the company's policies and standards.

Senior contracts negotiator vs project specialist salary

Senior contracts negotiators and project specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Contracts NegotiatorProject Specialist
Average salary$67,342$65,993
Salary rangeBetween $44,000 And $102,000Between $41,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Meta
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between senior contracts negotiator and project specialist education

There are a few differences between a senior contracts negotiator and a project specialist in terms of educational background:

Senior Contracts NegotiatorProject Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaWestern Carolina University

Senior contracts negotiator vs project specialist demographics

Here are the differences between senior contracts negotiators' and project specialists' demographics:

Senior Contracts NegotiatorProject Specialist
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 51.3% Female, 48.7%Male, 46.7% Female, 53.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between senior contracts negotiator and project specialist duties and responsibilities

Senior contracts negotiator example responsibilities.

  • Manage administrative support, handle payroll, develop company policies and procedures manual.
  • Develop spreadsheets and narrative support for cost proposals in compliance with the RFP.
  • Collaborate with business unit in responding to request-for-proposals (RFP) during renewals or for potential business.
  • Represent company in arbitration settlement negotiations that result in an agreement to obtain governmental approval for the sale of the business.
  • Prepare monthly and quarterly reconciliations.

Project specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage all phases of SDLC.
  • Manage SDLC so that all controls are followed.
  • Manage tracking and resolution of defects and reporting of UAT execution results.
  • Purchase and manage inventory for aircraft LCD displays across all Rockwell sites.
  • Manage relational database through SQL programming, as well as ERP and MRP.
  • Design screen layouts and fields in the ERP system to accomplish above goals as well as enhance end user experience.
  • Show more

Senior contracts negotiator vs project specialist skills

Common senior contracts negotiator skills
  • Contract Administration, 11%
  • Proposal Preparation, 8%
  • Contract Terms, 6%
  • DOD, 6%
  • Service Agreements, 5%
  • ITAR, 5%
Common project specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 25%
  • Project Management, 17%
  • Project Proposals, 10%
  • Telemarketing, 7%
  • PowerPoint, 4%
  • Patients, 2%

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