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The differences between application development directors and development managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become an application development director, becoming a development manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, an application development director has an average salary of $151,898, which is higher than the $110,678 average annual salary of a development manager.
The top three skills for an application development director include application development, architecture and java. The most important skills for a development manager are project management, customer service, and patients.
| Application Development Director | Development Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $151,898 | $110,678 |
| Hourly rate | $73.03 | $53.21 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 100,053 | 111,137 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 10 |
The applications development director focuses on ensuring the smooth and productive development process of strategies and applications used in a company. The development director manages a team of developers who will improve, upgrade, and, if needed, replace existing systems and applications currently used in the company. The development director's role is essential for continuing the company's productivity, which is why this position is only open for people with relevant experience in application development and managerial skills. A development director's added tasks are to work with all related departments in the company, collate their application needs, and integrate those inputs to come up with an application that resolves all company problems.
A development manager is responsible for assisting existing clients or potential clients of the services they need. A development manager serves as the initial point of contact for the clients to answer their inquiries and concerns before proceeding with a contract. Development managers usually arrange meetings with clients, analyze business opportunities, improve marketing initiatives to attract clients, research the industry's latest trends, create proposals, and assist in training new staff members. A development manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle staff performance and build professional relationships with clients.
Application development directors and development managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Application Development Director | Development Manager | |
| Average salary | $151,898 | $110,678 |
| Salary range | Between $116,000 And $198,000 | Between $76,000 And $159,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | ServiceNow | Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between an application development director and a development manager in terms of educational background:
| Application Development Director | Development Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between application development directors' and development managers' demographics:
| Application Development Director | Development Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.0% Female, 16.0% | Male, 60.5% Female, 39.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 13.4% White, 64.5% 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 | 11% | 10% |