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The differences between senior software managers and senior development managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a senior software manager and a senior development manager. Additionally, a senior software manager has an average salary of $145,610, which is higher than the $141,487 average annual salary of a senior development manager.
The top three skills for a senior software manager include software development, java and cycle management. The most important skills for a senior development manager are java, software development, and cloud.
| Senior Software Manager | Senior Development Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $145,610 | $141,487 |
| Hourly rate | $70.00 | $68.02 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 139,282 | 148,732 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
A senior software manager leads a testing team. They are responsible for counseling junior staff, managing resources, conducting software testing, and ensuring quality standards are met. This position requires someone who is resourceful and dynamic. They must also hold an advanced degree.
A senior development manager oversees the daily operations of a company's product development team. They mostly have administrative duties, such as spearheading projects and programs, streamlining project requirements, establishing objectives and timelines, setting budgets and guidelines, delegating responsibilities among teams, and monitoring their progress, coordinating every team's efforts to ensure an effective workflow. Being a senior development manager takes years of experience, which they utilize to lead and guide teams in a joint effort to reach project goals and deliver profitable products.
Senior software managers and senior development managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Software Manager | Senior Development Manager | |
| Average salary | $145,610 | $141,487 |
| Salary range | Between $107,000 And $197,000 | Between $106,000 And $188,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | eBay | Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a senior software manager and a senior development manager in terms of educational background:
| Senior Software Manager | Senior Development Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between senior software managers' and senior development managers' demographics:
| Senior Software Manager | Senior Development Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.5% Female, 20.5% | Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 20.4% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 13.6% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |