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The differences between senior project managers and contract project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior project manager has an average salary of $110,947, which is higher than the $81,263 average annual salary of a contract project manager.
The top three skills for a senior project manager include project management, program management and portfolio. The most important skills for a contract project manager are project management, project scope, and contract project.
| Senior Project Manager | Contract Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $110,947 | $81,263 |
| Hourly rate | $53.34 | $39.07 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 183,210 | 159,765 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Years of experience | - | 8 |
Senior project managers are experienced employees assigned to oversee a specific project in the organization. They manage the project from conception to execution. They are onboard the project from the ideation phase, providing valuable insights to ensure the success of the project. Senior project managers are also in charge of managing the budget, ensuring that the expected timelines are followed, adjusting strategies when needed, and guiding project team members. It is important for senior project managers to be good leaders and communicators. They should be able to balance the interests of all the stakeholders involved in the project. They should have good interpersonal skills and decision-making skills.
A contract project manager is an executive professional who provides project management and business analysis to fill the needs of an organization. Contract project managers are required to monitor and inspect contract projects to maintain a high level of safety and quality traffic control in highly variable conditions. They assist contract project administration with the review of project progress reports. Contract project managers must also manage the relationship between clients and the organization while monitoring the progress of the project to ensure that it complies with the terms of the corporate contract.
Senior project managers and contract project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Project Manager | Contract Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $110,947 | $81,263 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $148,000 | Between $53,000 And $124,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Roku | PRO Unlimited |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a senior project manager and a contract project manager in terms of educational background:
| Senior Project Manager | Contract Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo |
Here are the differences between senior project managers' and contract project managers' demographics:
| Senior Project Manager | Contract Project Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.4% Female, 28.6% | Male, 66.1% Female, 33.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.8% White, 70.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 4% |