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The differences between senior program analysts and analyst leads 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 program analyst and an analyst lead. Additionally, an analyst lead has an average salary of $95,264, which is higher than the $93,415 average annual salary of a senior program analyst.
The top three skills for a senior program analyst include project management, DOD and logistics. The most important skills for an analyst lead are analytics, data analysis, and project management.
| Senior Program Analyst | Analyst Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $93,415 | $95,264 |
| Hourly rate | $44.91 | $45.80 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 132,578 | 122,353 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior program analyst specializes in developing and recommending strategies to optimize the operations of different programs in a company. They coordinate with various departments to collect and analyze data, identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing programs, perform extensive research and analysis, conduct risk assessments, determine the trends, and address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Moreover, as a senior program analyst, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior analysts, all while promoting the company's policies and regulations.
The duties of an analyst lead depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis, coordinating with different departments to gather leads and data, reviewing findings, and producing reports and presentations for the stakeholders and other higher-ranking officials. Through the results, an analyst lead can provide advice, devise strategies for business optimization, spearhead the development of processes, identify strengths and weaknesses, and offer recommendations on areas in need of improvement. All of this is done while in adherence to the company's vision and mission.
Senior program analysts and analyst leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Program Analyst | Analyst Lead | |
| Average salary | $93,415 | $95,264 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $126,000 | Between $74,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Varian Medical Systems | |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior program analyst and an analyst lead in terms of educational background:
| Senior Program Analyst | Analyst Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior program analysts' and analyst leads' demographics:
| Senior Program Analyst | Analyst Lead | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.8% Female, 46.2% | Male, 62.4% Female, 37.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.4% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.4% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |