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Account manager vs account director

The differences between account managers and account directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both an account manager and an account director. Additionally, an account director has an average salary of $114,728, which is higher than the $68,535 average annual salary of an account manager.

The top three skills for an account manager include customer service, account management and healthcare. The most important skills for an account director are account management, project management, and work ethic.

Account manager vs account director overview

Account ManagerAccount Director
Yearly salary$68,535$114,728
Hourly rate$32.95$55.16
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs152,261132,260
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Average age4646
Years of experience88

What does an account manager do?

Account managers are employees who act as the bridge between the company they represent and the client of the company. They are assigned to handle specific clients so that the company will be able to tailor-fit any product or service according to the clients' requirements. Account managers are responsible for maintaining a harmonious relationship between the two parties by ensuring that any agreement made is amenable to both the company and the client. They are also responsible for ensuring that the company will be able to provide the needs of the client within any limitation that the client may have. Account managers also ensure that the company's reputation and well-being are always considered in any dealings.

What does an account director do?

An account director is responsible for managing client accounts, monitoring budgets, and sales forecasting. Their goal is to maintain stable account management strategies, meet clients' demands, develop healthy professional partnerships that would generate revenues, increase profitability, and achieve the organization's long-term goals objectives. Account directors supervise the account management staff, ensuring the project's successful completion with the highest efficiency and accuracy. An account director also plans training programs to maximize their performance and productivity, especially when dealing with deadlines and clients' requests.

Account manager vs account director salary

Account managers and account directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Account ManagerAccount Director
Average salary$68,535$114,728
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $110,000Between $82,000 And $158,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonNew Jersey
Best paying companyNVIDIABuzzFeed
Best paying industryTechnologyProfessional

Differences between account manager and account director education

There are a few differences between an account manager and an account director in terms of educational background:

Account ManagerAccount Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California

Account manager vs account director demographics

Here are the differences between account managers' and account directors' demographics:

Account ManagerAccount Director
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 54.8% Female, 45.2%Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between account manager and account director duties and responsibilities

Account manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage financial departments with responsibility for managing payroll, bank re-consolidations, bank deposits, budgeting and cost control.
  • Manage $4 million territory encompassing three Mid-Atlantic states.
  • Manage new business and renewals for leading Saas legal solution.
  • Manage an inside sales territory of multiple states with Avaya technology solutions.
  • Negotiate and manage all contracts and pricing for IDN's in the territory.
  • Manage customers' accounts utilizing laptop and internet base CMS reporting software and ADM field guide.
    • Show more

Account director example responsibilities.

  • Manage coordination with HCP agencies for launch.
  • Manage the development and creation of print and broadcast advertising and in-store merchandising.
  • Manage relationships with all GPO pharmacy, medical device, and physician preference teams.
  • Manage client accounts as well as introducing cross selling into other verticals to increase the portfolio.
  • Manage RFP / RFI process and drive all opportunities that provide a consultative, long-term solution and support.
  • Increase clients SEO rankings and achieve first page placement both locally and nationally for highly search phrases for a client.
    • Show more

Account manager vs account director skills

Common account manager skills
  • Customer Service, 19%
  • Account Management, 8%
  • Healthcare, 6%
  • CRM, 6%
  • Product Knowledge, 5%
  • PowerPoint, 5%
Common account director skills
  • Account Management, 9%
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Work Ethic, 7%
  • Healthcare, 7%
  • Digital Marketing, 5%
  • Email Marketing, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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