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Strategic project manager vs program/project manager

The differences between strategic project managers and program/project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a strategic project manager has an average salary of $105,238, which is higher than the $101,850 average annual salary of a program/project manager.

The top three skills for a strategic project manager include project management, strategic projects and project scope. The most important skills for a program/project manager are project management, program management, and PMP.

Strategic project manager vs program/project manager overview

Strategic Project ManagerProgram/Project Manager
Yearly salary$105,238$101,850
Hourly rate$50.60$48.97
Growth rate6%16%
Number of jobs199,245243,017
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

What does a strategic project manager do?

A strategic project manager is responsible for developing efficient project management methods to achieve the highest customer satisfaction and gain more revenue resources for the business. Strategic project managers analyze the current market trends, perform data and statistical analysis, and generate opportunities to close more business partnerships. They also coordinate with the marketing and sales team to identify effective marketing strategies to increase the brand's image in various market platforms and enhance sales performance. A strategic project manager handles company accounts and regularly connects with the client for project updates.

What does a program/project manager do?

The program manager and project manager are two important positions within a company that are thought to be similar. However, program managers direct diverse projects and programs while project managers head the team who is responsible for ensuring a project is completed on time and within budget. Program managers are responsible for the conveyance of the company goals and generally act as a customer interface that helps clients get their desired update and change of a project. Project managers, on the other hand, focus on the project's schedule, scope, and resources needed to complete it on time.

Strategic project manager vs program/project manager salary

Strategic project managers and program/project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Strategic Project ManagerProgram/Project Manager
Average salary$105,238$101,850
Salary rangeBetween $73,000 And $151,000Between $74,000 And $138,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonCalifornia
Best paying companyMcKinsey & Company IncMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyProfessional

Differences between strategic project manager and program/project manager education

There are a few differences between a strategic project manager and a program/project manager in terms of educational background:

Strategic Project ManagerProgram/Project Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Strategic project manager vs program/project manager demographics

Here are the differences between strategic project managers' and program/project managers' demographics:

Strategic Project ManagerProgram/Project Manager
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 55.9% Female, 44.1%Male, 62.0% Female, 38.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between strategic project manager and program/project manager duties and responsibilities

Strategic project manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage HVAC, electrical and plumbing.
  • Manage 8 proposal developers responding to approximately 300 RFP's per year.
  • Manage rollouts of CRM enhancements using effective implementation planning, change mgmt and training.
  • Help VZB's competitive advantage by adopting technologies and methods that can reduce costs, increase ROI, and increase uptime.
  • Streamline and centralize usage of project management tools to manage dependencies and transparent delivery milestones for highly complex SaaS platforms
  • Create processes to ensure the integrity of information disseminate to portfolio and risk management systems.
  • Show more

Program/project manager example responsibilities.

  • Plan and manage infrastructure installations and enterprise hardware and software upgrades of classify systems while balancing resources to manage troubleshooting/maintenance actions.
  • Facilitate daily scrum meetings and collaborate with product owners to prioritize and manage backlog.
  • Utilize SharePoint, the company's document repository engine to manage access and documentation reviews.
  • Manage, monitors and measures project portfolio status, recommending corrective action as necessary and communicate portfolio status to their management.
  • Promote to positions base on demonstrate skills in business analysis, project management, portfolio management and customer relationship management.
  • Provide program and project management support for applications and infrastructure systems monitoring as well as enhancements and maintenance of existing systems.
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Strategic project manager vs program/project manager skills

Common strategic project manager skills
  • Project Management, 25%
  • Strategic Projects, 7%
  • Project Scope, 6%
  • Portfolio, 5%
  • Strong Project Management, 4%
  • Process Improvement, 3%
Common program/project manager skills
  • Project Management, 18%
  • Program Management, 7%
  • PMP, 6%
  • Status Reports, 5%
  • Infrastructure, 4%
  • Portfolio, 4%

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