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The differences between solutions directors and technical managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a solutions director, becoming a technical manager takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a solutions director has an average salary of $134,278, which is higher than the $116,619 average annual salary of a technical manager.
The top three skills for a solutions director include cloud, healthcare and business development. The most important skills for a technical manager are project management, infrastructure, and architecture.
| Solutions Director | Technical Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $134,278 | $116,619 |
| Hourly rate | $64.56 | $56.07 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 90,000 | 116,732 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 2 |
A solutions director is responsible for monitoring the different stages of project management and product development strategies. Solutions directors manage the initial conceptualization of processes based on the clients' specifications and requirements until the final deliverables. They coordinate with the clients for progress updates and inform them of any adjustments and cost-reduction techniques to improve output efficiency. A solutions director may also assist with marketing campaigns and promotional strategies to maintain brand awareness and increase public engagement.
A technical manager is responsible for maintaining the company's information systems database and analyzing technology system matters to ensure its efficiency and accuracy in supporting business operations. Technical managers perform network checks regularly to assess any possible malfunctions that might compromise the company's cybersecurity. They carefully analyze business and clients' specifications on working with systems integration, responding to end-users' concerns and inquiries. A technical manager must have excellent knowledge of the information technology systems industry, as well as a strong command on network codes to conduct adjustments and manage network infrastructure.
Solutions directors and technical managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Solutions Director | Technical Manager | |
| Average salary | $134,278 | $116,619 |
| Salary range | Between $100,000 And $179,000 | Between $84,000 And $161,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Morgan Lewis | A.T. Kearney |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a solutions director and a technical manager in terms of educational background:
| Solutions Director | Technical Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between solutions directors' and technical managers' demographics:
| Solutions Director | Technical Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.2% Female, 24.8% | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 14% |