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Senior product specialist vs associate product manager

The differences between senior product specialists and associate product managers 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 product specialist, becoming an associate product manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a senior product specialist has an average salary of $112,464, which is higher than the $89,963 average annual salary of an associate product manager.

The top three skills for a senior product specialist include product management, healthcare and powerpoint. The most important skills for an associate product manager are product management, project management, and user stories.

Senior product specialist vs associate product manager overview

Senior Product SpecialistAssociate Product Manager
Yearly salary$112,464$89,963
Hourly rate$54.07$43.25
Growth rate19%10%
Number of jobs72,109107,763
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Average age3739
Years of experience610

What does a senior product specialist do?

A senior product specialist is tasked with creating or improving products. In this role, they are instrumental in customizing, configuring, and creating new product solutions and subsequent deployment. Their responsibilities include leading all sales activities, identifying new markets, performing demonstrations for target customers, conducting market intelligence surveys to identify potential customers, creating sales proposals, negotiating sales agreements, developing drafts, sending out product development bulletins, and affecting production. They must also create and maintain relations with customers.

What does an associate product manager do?

An associate product manager is someone who assists the product development teams in the development of new product features. The duties of an associate include formulation of product strategies, collection of quantitative product data, and interpretation of consumer feedback. The requirements to qualify for the position include a bachelor's degree in computer science, marketing, business management, or a related field, the ability to maintain strong customer relations, and excellent communication skills.

Senior product specialist vs associate product manager salary

Senior product specialists and associate product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Product SpecialistAssociate Product Manager
Average salary$112,464$89,963
Salary rangeBetween $82,000 And $153,000Between $65,000 And $122,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyGoogleMeta
Best paying industryPharmaceuticalStart-up

Differences between senior product specialist and associate product manager education

There are a few differences between a senior product specialist and an associate product manager in terms of educational background:

Senior Product SpecialistAssociate Product Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of GeorgiaUniversity of Georgia

Senior product specialist vs associate product manager demographics

Here are the differences between senior product specialists' and associate product managers' demographics:

Senior Product SpecialistAssociate Product Manager
Average age3739
Gender ratioMale, 66.0% Female, 34.0%Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 13.4% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%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 Percentage10%10%

Differences between senior product specialist and associate product manager duties and responsibilities

Senior product specialist example responsibilities.

  • Demonstrate proficiency in handling forecasting of market demands while simultaneously managing OEM supplier relationships
  • Lead expert team that prove feasibility of manufacturing green elastomeric nonwovens by reactive extrusion.
  • Work with QA team to do application testing.
  • Compose responses to numerous FDA medical reviewer questions.
  • Enter all items and colors into PLM for each style.
  • Collaborate with design, development, and QA teams to build product.
  • Show more

Associate product manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage e-commerce packaging program, displays and packaging.
  • Lead a cross-functional team to launch the diabetes monitoring product.
  • Manage seven brand categories in the livestock feed and pet feed industries
  • Manage POS analysis to build sales tools, identify trends, and report performance.
  • Manage cross-functional teams to develop and produce new product for Chinese, UK and European markets.
  • Manage the department of a medical diabetes blood glucose manufacturing leader of visual blood glucose test strips.
  • Show more

Senior product specialist vs associate product manager skills

Common senior product specialist skills
  • Product Management, 8%
  • Healthcare, 8%
  • PowerPoint, 6%
  • Product Development, 6%
  • Market Research, 4%
  • Product Line, 4%
Common associate product manager skills
  • Product Management, 9%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • User Stories, 5%
  • Market Research, 5%
  • PowerPoint, 4%
  • Customer Service, 4%

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