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The differences between senior project specialists and project analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior project specialist, becoming a project analyst takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior project specialist has an average salary of $87,213, which is higher than the $71,174 average annual salary of a project analyst.
The top three skills for a senior project specialist include project management, powerpoint and status reports. The most important skills for a project analyst are project management, data analysis, and customer service.
| Senior Project Specialist | Project Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $87,213 | $71,174 |
| Hourly rate | $41.93 | $34.22 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 111,859 | 207,513 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
The job of a senior project specialist is to manage a portfolio of projects and ensure that these projects achieve quality development outcomes. You will perform a variety of duties that include providing day-to-day support to teams, preparing and reviewing requests for project-related activities, and overseeing the project's financial aspects by reviewing monthly invoices. In addition, you will monitor monthly costs and track contract expenditures against total obligated funds and budget. As a senior project specialist, it is also your responsibility to recruit short- and long-term personnel.
A project analyst is responsible for overseeing the development of new projects upon completion of data gathering. A project analyst must provide plans and design the project to its full potential. For this, it is essential to conduct extensive research and coordinate with all staff and departments involved through regular reports and various forms of communication. Furthermore, a project analyst must devise strategies to improve particular projects for it to succeed and achieve better results, all in adherence to the company policies and regulations.
Senior project specialists and project analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Project Specialist | Project Analyst | |
| Average salary | $87,213 | $71,174 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $112,000 | Between $52,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Idaho | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Amazon | |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a senior project specialist and a project analyst in terms of educational background:
| Senior Project Specialist | Project Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between senior project specialists' and project analysts' demographics:
| Senior Project Specialist | Project Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.0% Female, 50.0% | Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 13.7% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 12% |