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Senior program officer vs program manager

The differences between senior program officers and program managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior program officer has an average salary of $100,469, which is higher than the $96,084 average annual salary of a program manager.

The top three skills for a senior program officer include data analysis, global health and HR. The most important skills for a program manager are project management, program management, and oversight.

Senior program officer vs program manager overview

Senior Program OfficerProgram Manager
Yearly salary$100,469$96,084
Hourly rate$48.30$46.19
Growth rate8%12%
Number of jobs117,953197,556
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age4047
Years of experience6-

What does a senior program officer do?

Senior program officers are professionals who are responsible for supervising program development while working with grant recipients to ensure effective use of the organization's resources. These officers must coordinate with the grants administrator or office manager about initial screening and prioritizing of new proposals. They must represent the organization at conferences and community meetings to develop and maintain relationships with existing and prospective partners and stakeholders. Senior program officers must also provide training and coaching that supports the professional development of program associates.

What does a program manager do?

A program manager is responsible for monitoring the project's progress, improving and developing new strategies, and coordinate various projects across the organization to ensure the success of the business objective. Program managers also manage the program's expenses, ensuring that the projects adhere to the budget goals without compromising the quality and accuracy of the result. A program manager should regularly connect with the different teams of every project under the program to keep track of the processes and procedures for the timely delivery of the product.

Senior program officer vs program manager salary

Senior program officers and program managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Program OfficerProgram Manager
Average salary$100,469$96,084
Salary rangeBetween $68,000 And $146,000Between $65,000 And $141,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyBill & Melinda Gates FoundationMeta
Best paying industryNon ProfitsTechnology

Differences between senior program officer and program manager education

There are a few differences between a senior program officer and a program manager in terms of educational background:

Senior Program OfficerProgram Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorPolitical ScienceBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Senior program officer vs program manager demographics

Here are the differences between senior program officers' and program managers' demographics:

Senior Program OfficerProgram Manager
Average age4047
Gender ratioMale, 43.8% Female, 56.2%Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage14%10%

Differences between senior program officer and program manager duties and responsibilities

Senior program officer example responsibilities.

  • Lead the development and implementation of over 35 sub-agreements and budgets, with partner NGOs.
  • Achieve superior customer results by improving and integrating proprietary chemistry tests.
  • Manage direct support professionals serving adult populations for persons with mental health, developmental disabilities and children with autism.
  • Assist study coordinators with IRB submissions.
  • Insure compliance with Medicaid and BCFS paperwork standards.
  • Introduce CMMI methodology as a means of strategically evolving the PMO.
  • Show more

Program manager example responsibilities.

  • Lead managed services provider engagement of onshore and offshore interactive development and QA for pharmaceutical marketing department.
  • Lead multiple team workshops and initiate RFP proposals.
  • Manage the work process across projects as per PMI standards.
  • Develop, manage, and oversee EMBA study abroad in-residencies to Asia.
  • Manage content updates for all salesforce marketing materials, print and digital.
  • Manage the service level expectations with client agencies by monitoring and assessment establish KPIs, agreements and contracts.
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Senior program officer vs program manager skills

Common senior program officer skills
  • Data Analysis, 8%
  • Global Health, 7%
  • HR, 7%
  • Technical Assistance, 5%
  • Data Collection, 5%
  • SCI, 5%
Common program manager skills
  • Project Management, 11%
  • Program Management, 11%
  • Oversight, 6%
  • Customer Service, 4%
  • Infrastructure, 3%
  • Excellent Organizational, 3%

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