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The differences between senior directors, product development and product managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a senior director, product development and a product manager. Additionally, a senior director, product development has an average salary of $160,980, which is higher than the $111,729 average annual salary of a product manager.
The top three skills for a senior director, product development include project management, product development and digital marketing. The most important skills for a product manager are product management, QA, and product strategy.
| Senior Director, Product Development | Product Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $160,980 | $111,729 |
| Hourly rate | $77.39 | $53.72 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 160,867 | 125,678 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
A senior director of product development spearheads and oversees the product development operations of a company. They have the responsibility to manage product development teams, set goals, establish guidelines and timelines, liaise with key external parties, coordinate managers, and address issues and concerns, resolving them efficiently. They also have the authority to come up with decisions and delegate responsibilities among teams and staff. Moreover, as a senior director, product development, it is essential to implement policies and regulations, developing new ones that support the company's needs, vision, and mission.
A product manager is responsible for ensuring product development, providing the best marketing strategies, and effectively handling the sales and marketing team. Product managers' duties include monitoring the market trends and conditions, identifying business opportunities and plan initiatives, and collaborating the product launch process with the appropriate departments. A product manager is also responsible for generating ideas on improving product features, determining timetables and reasonable pricing, and analyzing product sales. A product manager must have excellent strategic and decision-making skills to contribute to its growth and profitability.
Senior directors, product development and product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Director, Product Development | Product Manager | |
| Average salary | $160,980 | $111,729 |
| Salary range | Between $107,000 And $241,000 | Between $81,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Genentech | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Media | Retail |
There are a few differences between a senior director, product development and a product manager in terms of educational background:
| Senior Director, Product Development | Product Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between senior directors, product development' and product managers' demographics:
| Senior Director, Product Development | Product Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.2% Female, 28.8% | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |