Assistant department head vs department specialist

The differences between assistant department heads and department specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an assistant department head has an average salary of $65,309, which is higher than the $49,764 average annual salary of a department specialist.

The top three skills for an assistant department head include ladders, sales floor and customer service. The most important skills for a department specialist are product knowledge, drive sales, and cleanliness.

Assistant department head vs department specialist overview

	Assistant Department Head	Department Specialist
Yearly salary	$65,309	$49,764
Hourly rate	$31.40	$23.93
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	41,690	55,038
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	43	41
Years of experience	6	-

What does an assistant department head do?

An assistant department head is responsible for monitoring the operations of the department, together with the department head. Assistant department heads' duties include managing clients' inquiries and complaints, developing strategic solutions to improve clients' satisfaction, and identifying business opportunities to increase revenues and the business' profitability. They will also work on monitoring the staff's performance and addressing their concerns, creating sales reports, maintaining budget goals, and organizing training. An assistant department head must have excellent leadership and communication skills to help in achieving the department's objectives.

What does a department specialist do?

A department specialist drives the profitable sales growth of a company through proper planning and execution of corporate merchandise direction. Department specialists develop plans and strategies to achieve corporate sales results through action planning, consistent accountability, and effective communication. They initiate and carry out business-wide software and hardware standardization. Also, they coordinate space utilization or facility scheduling optimization for programs focused on members.

Assistant department head vs department specialist salary

Assistant department heads and department specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Assistant Department Head	Department Specialist
Average salary	$65,309	$49,764
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $106,000	Between $35,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Centereach, NY	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	New York	Hawaii
Best paying company	Princeton University	Springs Charter Schools
Best paying industry	Energy	Government

Differences between assistant department head and department specialist education

There are a few differences between an assistant department head and a department specialist in terms of educational background:

	Assistant Department Head	Department Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	-

Assistant department head vs department specialist demographics

Here are the differences between assistant department heads' and department specialists' demographics:

	Assistant Department Head	Department Specialist
Average age	43	41
Gender ratio	Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1%	Male, 37.6% Female, 62.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 7.4% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 7.7% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	9%	7%

Differences between assistant department head and department specialist duties and responsibilities

Assistant department head example responsibilities.

Generate and implement new rules and regulations for the disciplinary department which lead to streamlining the process for separating challenge sailors.
Manage a high volume of patient information from authorizing diagnostic procedures and scheduling patients.
Perform all duties require while working in a retail environment such as POS cash handling, customer service and sales.
Stoop, climb ladders, and lift heavy loads during set-up for events.
Administer Microsoft PowerPoint training lectures and meeting/ briefings require by OSHA and NAVOSH.
Collaborate with patients, Tricare, and providers DOD and civilian coordinating specialty care referrals.

Department specialist example responsibilities.

Manage a high volume of patient information from authorizing diagnostic procedures and scheduling patients.
Conduct continuous inventory evaluation via analysis of POS computer data.
Provide account coverage on government, corporate, and mortgage-backed securities.
Strengthen organizational visibility by leading community outreach initiatives, fulfilling roles as youth mentor and orchestrating event planning and logistics.
Assist with scanning old patient records into EMR, other duties assign.
Communicate all policy and procedure violations to management, prepare detailed memos outlining the issues.

Assistant department head vs department specialist skills

Common assistant department head skills

Ladders, 29%
Sales Floor, 28%
Customer Service, 11%
Curriculum Development, 3%
Professional Development, 3%
Loss Prevention, 3%

Common department specialist skills

Product Knowledge, 14%
Drive Sales, 11%
Cleanliness, 11%
Customer Satisfaction, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Office Equipment, 8%

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Assistant Department Head
Assistant Department Head vs Department Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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