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The differences between senior managers and principals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior manager, becoming a principal takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior manager has an average salary of $118,906, which is higher than the $111,719 average annual salary of a principal.
The top three skills for a senior manager include analytics, project management and portfolio. The most important skills for a principal are CRM, project management, and financial services.
| Senior Manager | Principal | |
| Yearly salary | $118,906 | $111,719 |
| Hourly rate | $57.17 | $53.71 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 372,801 | 84,015 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
A principal is responsible for maintaining the orderliness of the school premises and supervising school operations, enforcing strict safety standards, and reiterating regulatory procedures. Principals' duties also include managing and monitoring school budget and expenses, improving security plans, conducting regular meetings and sharing updates with teachers and other school personnel, creating reports for school funding, and setting academic goals for everyone's compliance. A principal must administer excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills to handle major administrative tasks in maintaining the school's growth.
Senior managers and principals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Manager | Principal | |
| Average salary | $118,906 | $111,719 |
| Salary range | Between $86,000 And $163,000 | Between $69,000 And $179,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New York |
| Best paying company | Cornerstone Research | KKR & Co. L.P. |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a senior manager and a principal in terms of educational background:
| Senior Manager | Principal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior managers' and principals' demographics:
| Senior Manager | Principal | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.5% Female, 32.5% | Male, 65.6% Female, 34.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 16% |