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Social services manager vs program assistant

The differences between social services managers and program assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a social services manager and a program assistant. Additionally, a social services manager has an average salary of $55,773, which is higher than the $35,193 average annual salary of a program assistant.

The top three skills for a social services manager include social work, patients and discharge planning. The most important skills for a program assistant are patients, customer service, and data entry.

Social services manager vs program assistant overview

Social Services ManagerProgram Assistant
Yearly salary$55,773$35,193
Hourly rate$26.81$16.92
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs162,18596,901
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age4343
Years of experience1212

What does a social services manager do?

A social services manager is responsible for handling community programs and activities for societal needs. Social services managers coordinate with different local organizations to strategize techniques in building a safe and peaceful environment for the citizens, as well as identifying resources to provide them with their essentials. They also attend community events and meetings to represent the community and propose ideas for community development. A social services manager supervises the program budgeting, as well as reaching out to potential donors and sponsors for funding purposes.

What does a program assistant do?

Program assistants are usually entry-level or junior employees assigned to a department that handles a specific program in the organization. They assist the team they are assigned to in the implementation of the programs. They usually take care of administrative or clerical activities while also getting exposure to actual program management. Program assistants get trained to handle agendas from inception, to sourcing, to implementation, to evaluation. They may also handle documentary support for business cases or other presentation materials that the team may need for a specific part of the program management cycle.

Social services manager vs program assistant salary

Social services managers and program assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Social Services ManagerProgram Assistant
Average salary$55,773$35,193
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $81,000Between $27,000 And $45,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateNevadaConnecticut
Best paying companyCloudflareThe Aspen Institute
Best paying industryHealth CareGovernment

Differences between social services manager and program assistant education

There are a few differences between a social services manager and a program assistant in terms of educational background:

Social Services ManagerProgram Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorSocial WorkBusiness
Most common collegeSUNY at BinghamtonNorthwestern University

Social services manager vs program assistant demographics

Here are the differences between social services managers' and program assistants' demographics:

Social Services ManagerProgram Assistant
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 20.6% Female, 79.4%Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1%Black or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between social services manager and program assistant duties and responsibilities

Social services manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage the MSW staff and coordinate all social service and select patient service activities.
  • Research community services for patient care and coordinate transportation for patients to external organizations for short and long-term treatment.
  • Provide case-management for patients in a rehabilitation setting, assisting with referrals to appropriate agencies and resources in their local area.
  • Assist with Medicaid applications and insurance problems.
  • Process payroll information in an accurate and timely manner.
  • Help residents with their advance directives, assist in filing Medicaid applications and file and investigate grievances.
  • Show more

Program assistant example responsibilities.

  • Lead classes in anatomy/physiology, medical terminology, transcription.
  • Manage oversight of budget/finance, personnel and continuous program improvement.
  • Assist in achieving and maintaining DoD certification and national accreditation where applicable.
  • Instruct students in C++ and Java programming, robot design and construction.
  • Introduce students to various computer pro- gramming languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript).
  • Present information about RSVP to community organizations.
  • Show more

Social services manager vs program assistant skills

Common social services manager skills
  • Social Work, 19%
  • Patients, 13%
  • Discharge Planning, 7%
  • Mental Health, 6%
  • Crisis Intervention, 6%
  • Psychosocial Assessments, 4%
Common program assistant skills
  • Patients, 12%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Data Entry, 8%
  • HR, 6%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
  • Data Collection, 4%

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