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The differences between senior project analysts and project leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior project analyst, becoming a project leader takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a project leader has an average salary of $98,559, which is higher than the $80,368 average annual salary of a senior project analyst.
The top three skills for a senior project analyst include project management, data analysis and process improvement. The most important skills for a project leader are project management, work ethic, and C++.
| Senior Project Analyst | Project Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $80,368 | $98,559 |
| Hourly rate | $38.64 | $47.38 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 192,245 | 221,165 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A senior project analyst specializes in developing the best practices to optimize project operations. Their responsibilities include performing research and analysis to support the planning and execution of projects, managing resources, establishing objectives and timelines, conducting support studies, and developing strategies to improve the workflow. Furthermore, as a senior project analyst, it is essential to lead the analytical efforts and serve as a mentor to junior analysts, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
A project leader is responsible for supervising the team and managing the distribution of tasks to ensure the project's success with the highest efficiency and accuracy. Duties of a project leader include motivating the team, managing the team's needs and concerns, providing effective strategies to improve the team's performance, creating reports, monitoring the team's progress, and maintaining the coordination between team members. A project leader should have exceptional leadership skills to handle the team's operation and identify areas of improvement to deliver excellent results.
Senior project analysts and project leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Project Analyst | Project Leader | |
| Average salary | $80,368 | $98,559 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $105,000 | Between $70,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Boston Consulting Group | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between a senior project analyst and a project leader in terms of educational background:
| Senior Project Analyst | Project Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior project analysts' and project leaders' demographics:
| Senior Project Analyst | Project Leader | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0% | Male, 69.0% Female, 31.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 13.1% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 11% |