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The differences between special projects managers and program managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a program manager has an average salary of $96,084, which is higher than the $90,221 average annual salary of a special projects manager.
The top three skills for a special projects manager include project management, logistics and financial statements. The most important skills for a program manager are project management, program management, and oversight.
| Special Projects Manager | Program Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $90,221 | $96,084 |
| Hourly rate | $43.38 | $46.19 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 114,925 | 197,556 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A Special Projects Department is a vital part of the research and development branch in a company to design and create new products and services for customers to use. The special projects manager's responsibility is to request and allocate funds, personnel, and a specialist to the project. This person is also obligated to monitor and generate reports on the project's status and update the company management on the special project's daily status.
A program manager is responsible for monitoring the project's progress, improving and developing new strategies, and coordinate various projects across the organization to ensure the success of the business objective. Program managers also manage the program's expenses, ensuring that the projects adhere to the budget goals without compromising the quality and accuracy of the result. A program manager should regularly connect with the different teams of every project under the program to keep track of the processes and procedures for the timely delivery of the product.
Special projects managers and program managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Special Projects Manager | Program Manager | |
| Average salary | $90,221 | $96,084 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $122,000 | Between $65,000 And $141,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a special projects manager and a program manager in terms of educational background:
| Special Projects Manager | Program Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between special projects managers' and program managers' demographics:
| Special Projects Manager | Program Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.1% Female, 38.9% | Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.6% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |