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Senior project director vs consultant/project manager

The differences between senior project directors and consultant/project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a consultant/project manager has an average salary of $100,754, which is higher than the $99,266 average annual salary of a senior project director.

The top three skills for a senior project director include project management, business operations and product development. The most important skills for a consultant/project manager are project management, project scope, and business development.

Senior project director vs consultant/project manager overview

Senior Project DirectorConsultant/Project Manager
Yearly salary$99,266$100,754
Hourly rate$47.72$48.44
Growth rate-11%
Number of jobs86,779213,963
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

What does a senior project director do?

A senior project director spearheads and oversees projects in a company, aiming for smooth workflow and significant results. Their responsibilities typically include setting goals, establishing guidelines and timelines, managing staff, coordinating managers, liaising with external business partners, and monitoring the progress of all operations, resolving issues should any arise. They must also produce progress reports and present them to the executives. Moreover, as a senior project director, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach goals while promoting the company's policies and regulations.

What does a consultant/project manager do?

Consultants/project managers act as planners, leaders, and advisors in business enterprises. These professionals facilitate meetings and establish positive relationships with vendors, management, and clients. They make customer visits, maintain industry knowledge, procure third-party software and hardware, and deliver projects. It is also part of their duty to manage complex initiatives in an individual business unit or organization. Their skills include analytical, time and cost management, problem-solving, interpersonal skills, and proficiency in project management software.

Senior project director vs consultant/project manager salary

Senior project directors and consultant/project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Project DirectorConsultant/Project Manager
Average salary$99,266$100,754
Salary rangeBetween $67,000 And $146,000Between $74,000 And $136,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WAHartford, CT
Highest paying stateAlaskaConnecticut
Best paying companyAmazonMicrosoft
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between senior project director and consultant/project manager education

There are a few differences between a senior project director and a consultant/project manager in terms of educational background:

Senior Project DirectorConsultant/Project Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Senior project director vs consultant/project manager demographics

Here are the differences between senior project directors' and consultant/project managers' demographics:

Senior Project DirectorConsultant/Project Manager
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 58.5% Female, 41.5%Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between senior project director and consultant/project manager duties and responsibilities

Senior project director example responsibilities.

  • Lead the team through the technical and commercial evaluation of bids and selection of the LSTK EPC contractor.
  • Manage a wide variety of quantitative and qualitative consumer insights studies in the automotive, healthcare, and consumer products industries.
  • Manage content enter into Salesforce.
  • Manage multiple research databases, perform data entry and conduct cost-effectiveness statistical analysis using SPSS.
  • Manage qualitative projects from study design through analysis for consumer package goods, business-to-business, healthcare and pharmaceutical research projects.
  • Develop and maintain SharePoint InfoPath forms.
  • Show more

Consultant/project manager example responsibilities.

  • Lead and manage team of business analysts responsible for defining detail functional specifications for large-scale CRM implementation.
  • Project manage software development initiatives according to company SDLC.
  • Manage quality/regulatory control and clinical personnel, to deliver on time data-migration project using SDLC.
  • Develop training programs for ERP implementations, and manage development of custom performance support and knowledge management software solutions.
  • Implement a repeatable process methodology base on the PMI PMBOK defining a systematic approach to delivering solutions and achieving customer objectives.
  • Draft system documentation and create business process flows using Visio.
  • Show more

Senior project director vs consultant/project manager skills

Common senior project director skills
  • Project Management, 24%
  • Business Operations, 17%
  • Product Development, 12%
  • Client Satisfaction, 6%
  • Strategic Direction, 5%
  • Business Development, 5%
Common consultant/project manager skills
  • Project Management, 19%
  • Project Scope, 11%
  • Business Development, 10%
  • Executive Management, 6%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 6%
  • Manage Project Scope, 6%

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