Post job

Associate director vs principal

The differences between associate directors and principals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate director has an average salary of $114,223, which is higher than the $111,719 average annual salary of a principal.

The top three skills for an associate director include patients, healthcare and project management. The most important skills for a principal are CRM, project management, and financial services.

Associate director vs principal overview

Associate DirectorPrincipal
Yearly salary$114,223$111,719
Hourly rate$54.91$53.71
Growth rate8%5%
Number of jobs72,37084,015
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4747
Years of experience-4

What does an associate director do?

An associate director oversees the daily activities and business operations within a particular area. They are primarily responsible for devising strategies that aim for growth in profit and customer satisfaction, implementing policies and standards, evaluate the workforce, providing support to various departments, and setting goals in terms of budget and sales. Furthermore, they must regularly report progress to the director and coordinate with managers and supervisors in the joint effort to reach the vision and mission of the company.

What does a principal do?

A principal is responsible for maintaining the orderliness of the school premises and supervising school operations, enforcing strict safety standards, and reiterating regulatory procedures. Principals' duties also include managing and monitoring school budget and expenses, improving security plans, conducting regular meetings and sharing updates with teachers and other school personnel, creating reports for school funding, and setting academic goals for everyone's compliance. A principal must administer excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills to handle major administrative tasks in maintaining the school's growth.

Associate director vs principal salary

Associate directors and principals have different pay scales, as shown below.

Associate DirectorPrincipal
Average salary$114,223$111,719
Salary rangeBetween $79,000 And $164,000Between $69,000 And $179,000
Highest paying CitySouth San Francisco, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateNew JerseyNew York
Best paying companyLegalmatch.comKKR & Co. L.P.
Best paying industryPharmaceuticalProfessional

Differences between associate director and principal education

There are a few differences between an associate director and a principal in terms of educational background:

Associate DirectorPrincipal
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Associate director vs principal demographics

Here are the differences between associate directors' and principals' demographics:

Associate DirectorPrincipal
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 52.0% Female, 48.0%Male, 65.6% Female, 34.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage10%16%

Differences between associate director and principal duties and responsibilities

Associate director example responsibilities.

  • Lead implementation of OPPE and FPPE for TJC.
  • Manage accounting, weekly reports, local contacts, and maintenance of sets, props, and costumes.
  • Manage all aspects of music ministry - including arranging all music for schedule services special programs and events.
  • Manage departmental training schedules, work schedules and CPSI electronic medical record (EMR), certifications and competencies.
  • Manage web development and rebranding initiative.
  • Create a coordinate university social media committee quadrupling engagement during campaigns and achieving a national twitter trend during commencement.
  • Show more

Principal example responsibilities.

  • Manage all documentation associate with FMLA, ADA, & DOL requests.
  • Develop schedules, payroll, and manage recruiting, hiring and company standards to ensure customer satisfaction.
  • Launch, continue to manage, and act as primary portfolio manager and trader for boutique investment consulting firm.
  • Manage the RFP process for a new medical plan TPA delivering a savings of almost $1MM in fix costs.
  • Achieve 7-digit annual revenues from start-up in one year by capitalizing on accurate niche market gap and consumer demand identification.
  • Manage all human resource matters, including payroll and benefits administration.
  • Show more

Associate director vs principal skills

Common associate director skills
  • Patients, 11%
  • Healthcare, 8%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Oversight, 6%
  • Portfolio, 6%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 5%
Common principal skills
  • CRM, 7%
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Financial Services, 6%
  • Healthcare, 6%
  • Professional Services, 5%
  • ERP, 5%

Browse executive management jobs