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Strategic project manager vs project manager

The differences between strategic project managers and 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 $91,578 average annual salary of a 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 project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.

Strategic project manager vs project manager overview

Strategic Project ManagerProject Manager
Yearly salary$105,238$91,578
Hourly rate$50.60$44.03
Growth rate6%8%
Number of jobs199,245167,116
Job satisfaction54.17
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
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 project manager do?

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.

Strategic project manager vs project manager salary

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

Strategic Project ManagerProject Manager
Average salary$105,238$91,578
Salary rangeBetween $73,000 And $151,000Between $64,000 And $129,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonCalifornia
Best paying companyMcKinsey & Company IncThe Citadel
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between strategic project manager and project manager education

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

Strategic Project ManagerProject Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Strategic project manager vs project manager demographics

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

Strategic Project ManagerProject Manager
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 55.9% Female, 44.1%Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1%
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, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between strategic project manager and 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.
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Project manager example responsibilities.

  • Schedule and manage the GCP audit process.
  • Define, develop and manage metrics and KPIs systems for new product business group.
  • Manage the application process for the FDA medical device, minority and small business certifications.
  • Manage multiple projects and resources simultaneously while mentoring, coaching and implementing best practices, SOX and HIPAA compliance standards.
  • Lead teams using the Informatica ETL tool for the design and development of multiple financial and risk enterprise data warehouses.
  • Administer and manage Salesforce requirements.
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Strategic project manager vs 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 project manager skills
  • Project Management, 23%
  • Project Scope, 6%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Infrastructure, 5%
  • Status Reports, 4%
  • Risk Management, 3%

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