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The differences between senior technical program managers and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior technical program manager has an average salary of $137,188, which is higher than the $91,578 average annual salary of a project manager.
The top three skills for a senior technical program manager include technical program, program management and project management. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Senior Technical Program Manager | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $137,188 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $65.96 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 252,894 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 8 | - |
A senior technical program manager is responsible for handling the overall development of technical project processes from the initial conceptualization to the completion. Senior technical program managers lead the development team, implementing strategic procedures to maintain the efficiency and accuracy of the output, as well as developing quality control techniques to spot inconsistencies and system failures. They also monitor the current technology trends, identify cost-reduction resources, and research on technical opportunities that would bring more revenues and increase the company's profitability.
Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.
Senior technical program managers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Technical Program Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $137,188 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $102,000 And $184,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Roku | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Real Estate | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior technical program manager and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Senior Technical Program Manager | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior technical program managers' and project managers' demographics:
| Senior Technical Program Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.7% Female, 25.3% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 18.7% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 10% |