Assistant to the director vs executive assistant

The differences between assistant to the directors and executive assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an assistant to the director and an executive assistant. Additionally, an assistant to the director has an average salary of $59,753, which is higher than the $50,539 average annual salary of an executive assistant.

The top three skills for an assistant to the director include financial reports, payroll and CPR. The most important skills for an executive assistant are powerpoint, customer service, and phone calls.

Assistant to the director vs executive assistant overview

	Assistant To The Director	Executive Assistant
Yearly salary	$59,753	$50,539
Hourly rate	$28.73	$24.30
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	10,369	93,116
Job satisfaction	-	4.4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	4	4

What does an assistant to the director do?

An Assistant To The Director's duty, not to be confused with an Assistant Director, varies on the line of work or industry. In Film and Television, their responsibility will focus on the production operations and the workforce involved. When it comes to a corporate setting, an Assistant To The Director is responsible for clerical duties, such as handling different forms of correspondence, responding to calls and inquiries, communicating and coordinating with staff and other departments, arranging reports, appointments, schedules, and any necessary documentation.

What does an executive assistant do?

Executive assistants are employees who are assigned to work under the supervision of company executives. They manage the activities of the executives they are assigned to by manning the executive's calendar, scheduling appointments, setting meetings, ensuring that the executives are familiar with their schedule for the day, and taking note of any deliverable that may be needed. They are also responsible for taking care of any document or paperwork that the executive needs, as well as preparing presentation materials or briefers for meetings. Executive assistants are also usually exposed to actual company operations to further understand how the business works and to be of better help to the executive.

Assistant to the director vs executive assistant salary

Assistant to the directors and executive assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Assistant To The Director	Executive Assistant
Average salary	$59,753	$50,539
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $99,000	Between $35,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Urban Honolulu, HI	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	New York
Best paying company	Eli Lilly and Company	Meta
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between assistant to the director and executive assistant education

There are a few differences between an assistant to the director and an executive assistant in terms of educational background:

	Assistant To The Director	Executive Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Assistant to the director vs executive assistant demographics

Here are the differences between assistant to the directors' and executive assistants' demographics:

	Assistant To The Director	Executive Assistant
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 28.3% Female, 71.7%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between assistant to the director and executive assistant duties and responsibilities

Assistant to the director example responsibilities.

Purchase, manage inventory, and disburse promotional items for giveaways and events in the region.
Manage weekly sale reports and sales calls from sales managers including occupancy reports, and VIP groups.
Manage and coordinate content additions and revisions to the company website and Facebook page, while also conducting email marketing.
Oversee all spending and accounts associate with a non-profit organization: utilizing QuickBooks, managing receipts, and organizing all paperwork.
Manage payroll and bookkeeping responsibilities to ensure accurate records for parents and guardians.
Manage all administrative responsibilities of CMO including confidential materials and business communications with all levels of management.

Executive assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain AVP calendar and schedule using independent judgment.
Manage and review WinStar (KRONOS) time clock hours for hourly union employees.
Organize and manage administrative, audio/visual (WebEx, GoToMeeting), and catering of department meetings.
Manage the scope of accounting processes including billing, bookkeeping and expense data management with strong oversight of A/R and A/P.
Create and manage executive presentations using Visio and PowerPoint.
Compile, manage and organize travel and expense reports processing and submitting reports using PeopleSoft for reimbursement.

Assistant to the director vs executive assistant skills

Common assistant to the director skills

Financial Reports, 9%
Payroll, 8%
CPR, 7%
State Regulations, 6%
PowerPoint, 5%
Travel Arrangements, 5%

Common executive assistant skills

PowerPoint, 13%
Customer Service, 8%
Phone Calls, 6%
Calendar Management, 6%
Administrative Tasks, 3%
Financial Reports, 3%

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Assistant To The Director
Assistant To The Director vs Executive Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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