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Senior project director vs director of project management

The differences between senior project directors and directors of project management can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a director of project management has an average salary of $126,958, 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 director of project management are oversight, risk management, and resource management.

Senior project director vs director of project management overview

Senior Project DirectorDirector Of Project Management
Yearly salary$99,266$126,958
Hourly rate$47.72$61.04
Growth rate-16%
Number of jobs86,779200,498
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
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 director of project management do?

Project management directors are the ones who develop and direct the strategic planning of different projects. The directors oversee the coordination of resources and personnel necessary for project completion. Typically, the directors require certification for project management. They develop a methodology for standardized project management in a balanced matrix organization. The directors should be equipped with skills in process improvement, customer service, infrastructure, portfolio management, and strategic initiatives. They should also have skills in communication, attention to detail, and leadership.

Senior project director vs director of project management salary

Senior project directors and directors of project management have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Project DirectorDirector Of Project Management
Average salary$99,266$126,958
Salary rangeBetween $67,000 And $146,000Between $85,000 And $187,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WAFoster City, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaCalifornia
Best paying companyAmazonMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyReal Estate

Differences between senior project director and director of project management education

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

Senior Project DirectorDirector Of Project Management
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Senior project director vs director of project management demographics

Here are the differences between senior project directors' and directors of project management' demographics:

Senior Project DirectorDirector Of Project Management
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 58.5% Female, 41.5%Male, 66.9% Female, 33.1%
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, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between senior project director and director of project management 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

Director of project management example responsibilities.

  • Develop and manage RFP processes to procure third party products and services.
  • Manage & facilitate agile scrum masters, project managers and business analysts including providing direction, guidance and training.
  • Develop and lead divisional IP application strategy and review process to improve patent return on investment and alignment with product strategies.
  • Direct logistics and manufacturing process at Baltimore depot and revamp of product line to achieve desire mission-readiness capability.
  • Streamline and centralize usage of project management tools to manage dependencies and transparent delivery milestones for highly complex SaaS platforms
  • Lead scrum team through multiple development sprints for overall product improvement base on customer feedback and market research.
  • Show more

Senior project director vs director of project management 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 director of project management skills
  • Oversight, 9%
  • Risk Management, 6%
  • Resource Management, 5%
  • Business Objectives, 5%
  • Healthcare, 5%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 5%

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