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What does an assistant program director do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does an assistant program director do

An assistant program director is responsible for assisting the program director in organizing events and outreach services to support the organization's business functions and operations. Assistant program directors coordinate with other institutions, suppliers, and third-party vendors to deliver the program goals and objectives successfully. They also perform administrative and clerical duties as needed, delegating tasks, and ensuring that the program stays within the budget goals. An assistant program director must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on allocating resources and creating reports regarding the project's progress.

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Assistant program director responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real assistant program director resumes:

  • Manage direct support professionals serving adult populations for persons with mental health, developmental disabilities and children with autism.
  • Provide direct oversight of all program operations to ensure contract compliance, revenue enhancement, program development and quality assurance.
  • Perform first aid and CPR when necessary
  • Direct training classes for aides to become CPR certify.
  • Organize enrichment programs to service working families including a supplementary kindergarten and after-school care program.
  • Provide quality management oversight, auditing records to ensure regulatory compliance and the provision of quality services.
  • Develop and coordinate rehabilitation programs for adults with an array of disabilities to promote their integration into meaningful employment situations.
  • Tackle strategic challenge to bolster state chapters wrought with leadership inconstancy and often, first-time delegates, unprepare for national-level participation.
  • Teach adult and youth bible study classes.- Assist with the conducting of Sunday morning worship.-Structure and organize church ministries

Assistant program director skills and personality traits

We calculated that 8% of Assistant Program Directors are proficient in Mental Health, Oversight, and Social Work. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Leadership skills, and Communication skills.

We break down the percentage of Assistant Program Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Mental Health, 8%

    Work collaboratively with fellow community mental health organizations and/or social service agencies to ensure clients receive the highest quality of care.

  • Oversight, 8%

    Assisted the Program Director in providing supervisory oversight and coordination of services to older or disabled adults with psychiatric disabilities.

  • Social Work, 7%

    Supervised Caseworkers and one social worker in a family prevention program.

  • CPR, 7%

    Processed payments SKILLS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS Certified Nursing Assistant 10/31/08 CPR First Aid Certified 04/12/08 CPR & First Aid - Re-certified 02/01/12

  • Professional Development, 5%

    Participated and assist in planning staff development activities; such as professional development

  • Alumni, 5%

    Plan and facilitate University events in including open house registration and orientation events plus alumni and student and faculty retreats.

Common skills that an assistant program director uses to do their job include "mental health," "oversight," and "social work." You can find details on the most important assistant program director responsibilities below.

Creativity. One of the key soft skills for an assistant program director to have is creativity. You can see how this relates to what assistant program directors do because "because a script may be interpreted in different ways, directors must decide on their approach and on how to represent the script’s ideas for the production." Additionally, an assistant program director resume shows how assistant program directors use creativity: "provided professional development opportunities for staff to promote creativity and vision. "

Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling assistant program director duties is leadership skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "directors instruct actors and help them portray their characters in a believable manner." According to an assistant program director resume, here's how assistant program directors can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "provided leadership, supervision and training for community outreach personnel. "

Communication skills. This is an important skill for assistant program directors to perform their duties. For an example of how assistant program director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "producers and directors must convey information and ideas clearly in order to coordinate many people to finish a production on time and within budget." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an assistant program director: "provided direction and oversight to the core instructional faculty and coordinated effective communication with all parties involved with the program. ".

See the full list of assistant program director skills

Choose from 10+ customizable assistant program director resume templates

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Compare different assistant program directors

Assistant program director vs. Director of after school program

A director of after school programs oversees and directs childcare centers in communities. They take the lead in setting goals and guidelines, conducting research and analyses to identify the students' interests and needs, developing programs that provide recreational activities and academic support, supervising the recruitment and training of employees, and monitoring the daily operations to ensure everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Moreover, a director of after school programs empowers staff to reach program goals and implements policies and standards to provide a safe and healthy environment for the students.

If we compare the average assistant program director annual salary with that of a director of after school program, we find that directors of after school program typically earn a $1,490 lower salary than assistant program directors make annually.Even though assistant program directors and directors of after school program are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require social work, cpr, and professional development in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between assistant program directors and director of after school program. For instance, assistant program director responsibilities require skills such as "mental health," "oversight," "alumni," and "clinical supervision." Whereas a director of after school program is skilled in "youth development," "child care," "doh," and "hr." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Directors of after school program really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $47,587. Comparatively, assistant program directors tend to make the most money in the education industry with an average salary of $47,925.On average, directors of after school program reach similar levels of education than assistant program directors. Directors of after school program are 0.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Assistant program director vs. Director of senior programs

In the healthcare industry, a director of senior programs is primarily in charge of overseeing the daily operations at senior centers, aiming to give residents a quality and efficient service. It is their duty to set objectives and guidelines, spearhead the development of programs and services, manage staff and delegate tasks, liaise with external parties such as sponsors and vendors, and address problems or concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, a director of senior programs must enforce the establishment or facility's safety policies and regulations to maintain a healthy and safe environment for everyone.

On average, directors of senior programs earn a $46,537 higher salary than assistant program directors a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Assistant program directors and directors of senior programs both require similar skills like "oversight," "social work," and "cpr" to carry out their responsibilities.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real assistant program director resumes. While assistant program director responsibilities can utilize skills like "mental health," "alumni," "clinical supervision," and "curriculum development," directors of senior programs use skills like "crm," "lead generation," "roi," and "project management."

Directors of senior programs earn similar levels of education than assistant program directors in general. They're 1.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Assistant program director vs. Program manager

A program manager is responsible for monitoring the project's progress, improving and developing new strategies, and coordinate various projects across the organization to ensure the success of the business objective. Program managers also manage the program's expenses, ensuring that the projects adhere to the budget goals without compromising the quality and accuracy of the result. A program manager should regularly connect with the different teams of every project under the program to keep track of the processes and procedures for the timely delivery of the product.

On average scale, program managers bring in higher salaries than assistant program directors. In fact, they earn a $44,946 higher salary per year.By looking over several assistant program directors and program managers resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "mental health," "oversight," and "social work." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an assistant program director is likely to be skilled in "cpr," "alumni," "clinical supervision," and "curriculum development," while a typical program manager is skilled in "project management," "program management," "customer service," and "infrastructure."

Program managers earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $115,112. Assistant program directors earn the highest pay from the education industry, with an average salary of $47,925.When it comes to education, program managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to assistant program directors. In fact, they're 1.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Assistant program director vs. Service program manager

Service program managers serve as coordinators for the projects or services offered by organizations. The managers oversee and organize their activities, making sure that program goals are in alignment with corporate objectives. It is their job to establish promotional materials for the programs and manage their logistics. They handle several customer insights programs and create determination and targeting of prospective subscription sales opportunities. They need to develop skills in project management, customer service, marketing skills, and strong communication skills.

Service program managers tend to earn a higher pay than assistant program directors by an average of $27,118 per year.According to resumes from assistant program directors and service program managers, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "mental health," "oversight," and "social work. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. An assistant program director uses "cpr," "alumni," "curriculum development," and "powerpoint." Service program managers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "project management," "program management," "veterans," and "customer service. "In general, service program managers earn the most working in the technology industry, with an average salary of $79,284. The highest-paying industry for an assistant program director is the education industry.service program managers reach similar levels of education compared to assistant program directors, in general. The difference is that they're 3.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of assistant program director

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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