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Senior project manager vs program/project manager

The differences between senior project managers and program/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 $101,850 average annual salary of a program/project manager.

The top three skills for a senior project manager include project management, program management and portfolio. The most important skills for a program/project manager are project management, program management, and PMP.

Senior project manager vs program/project manager overview

Senior Project ManagerProgram/Project Manager
Yearly salary$110,947$101,850
Hourly rate$53.34$48.97
Growth rate16%16%
Number of jobs183,210243,017
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

What does a senior project manager do?

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.

What does a program/project manager do?

The program manager and project manager are two important positions within a company that are thought to be similar. However, program managers direct diverse projects and programs while project managers head the team who is responsible for ensuring a project is completed on time and within budget. Program managers are responsible for the conveyance of the company goals and generally act as a customer interface that helps clients get their desired update and change of a project. Project managers, on the other hand, focus on the project's schedule, scope, and resources needed to complete it on time.

Senior project manager vs program/project manager salary

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

Senior Project ManagerProgram/Project Manager
Average salary$110,947$101,850
Salary rangeBetween $82,000 And $148,000Between $74,000 And $138,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyRokuMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyProfessional

Differences between senior project manager and program/project manager education

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

Senior Project ManagerProgram/Project Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Senior project manager vs program/project manager demographics

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

Senior Project ManagerProgram/Project Manager
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 71.4% Female, 28.6%Male, 62.0% Female, 38.0%
Race ratioBlack 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, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between senior project manager and program/project manager duties and responsibilities

Senior project manager example responsibilities.

  • Lead a cloud base property management project.
  • Manage all financial interfaces to existing PeopleSoft applications from design to delivery.
  • Lead implementation of JIRA and numerous project/program delivery improvements in order efficiently deliver concurrent application releases.
  • Manage client relationships and perform necessary functions to build and deliver private/secure CRM applications and email accounts.
  • Streamline and centralize usage of project management tools to manage dependencies and transparent delivery milestones for highly complex SaaS platforms
  • Establish project scope with customer and manage implementation of proprietary Linux /Ubuntu software to ensure on-time delivery with high quality.
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Program/project manager example responsibilities.

  • Plan and manage infrastructure installations and enterprise hardware and software upgrades of classify systems while balancing resources to manage troubleshooting/maintenance actions.
  • Facilitate daily scrum meetings and collaborate with product owners to prioritize and manage backlog.
  • Utilize SharePoint, the company's document repository engine to manage access and documentation reviews.
  • Manage, monitors and measures project portfolio status, recommending corrective action as necessary and communicate portfolio status to their management.
  • Promote to positions base on demonstrate skills in business analysis, project management, portfolio management and customer relationship management.
  • Provide program and project management support for applications and infrastructure systems monitoring as well as enhancements and maintenance of existing systems.
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Senior project manager vs program/project manager skills

Common senior project manager skills
  • Project Management, 17%
  • Program Management, 6%
  • Portfolio, 5%
  • Infrastructure, 4%
  • Project Scope, 4%
  • Business Development, 3%
Common program/project manager skills
  • Project Management, 18%
  • Program Management, 7%
  • PMP, 6%
  • Status Reports, 5%
  • Infrastructure, 4%
  • Portfolio, 4%

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