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The differences between technical product managers and product leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a technical product manager and a product lead. Additionally, a technical product manager has an average salary of $120,052, which is higher than the $118,828 average annual salary of a product lead.
The top three skills for a technical product manager include technical product, product management and cloud. The most important skills for a product lead are product management, project management, and architecture.
| Technical Product Manager | Product Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $120,052 | $118,828 |
| Hourly rate | $57.72 | $57.13 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 185,305 | 95,557 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
A technical product manager's responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify consumers' needs, utilizing new technologies to develop strategies and products, coordinating with different teams, and monitoring the entire progress of production. There are also instances when a technical product manager must perform clerical tasks such as producing reports, preparing presentations, responding to issues and concerns promptly, and managing schedules. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to meet goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A product lead is responsible for monitoring the development of new products and services of an organization, starting from brand conceptualization to official market release and distribution. Product leads identify effective product management by conducting data analysis and evaluating market statistics of customer demands. They coordinate with the clients on their specifications and requirements, including the budget limit and timely deliverables. A product lead manages the brand promotion on media platforms, creating content that adheres to the target audience.
Technical product managers and product leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Product Manager | Product Lead | |
| Average salary | $120,052 | $118,828 |
| Salary range | Between $89,000 And $161,000 | Between $86,000 And $163,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a technical product manager and a product lead in terms of educational background:
| Technical Product Manager | Product Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between technical product managers' and product leads' demographics:
| Technical Product Manager | Product Lead | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2% | Male, 71.1% Female, 28.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |