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Business development manager vs director

The differences between business development managers and directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a business development manager, becoming a director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a director has an average salary of $113,489, which is higher than the $100,769 average annual salary of a business development manager.

The top three skills for a business development manager include customer service, CRM and healthcare. The most important skills for a director are healthcare, customer service, and oversight.

Business development manager vs director overview

Business Development ManagerDirector
Yearly salary$100,769$113,489
Hourly rate$48.45$54.56
Growth rate10%8%
Number of jobs215,309230,711
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age3940
Years of experience106

What does a business development manager do?

A business development manager's duties include identifying business opportunities, developing effective models and strategies to improve business performance, searching for potential clients to generate income and attract partnerships. A business development manager must have extensive knowledge of the market trends and adjust strategies as needed to meet the needs of the client. Excellent communication, decision-making, critical thinking, and leadership skills are just some of the key factors that business development managers should possess to communicate and negotiate with the clients.

What does a director do?

Directors work in show business, whether in a film, a television show, or a theatre production. They are responsible for bringing the material to life. They work with the writers to get a clear vision of how the production should look. They lead the production team in planning for the production, identifying filming or rehearsing schedules, casting for roles, and other aspects that need to be decided upon. Directors provide direction to the actors to ensure that the actors understand their role and will be able to effectively convey emotions to the audience. They also manage all other crew members and communicate their expectations clearly so that everyone on the set is working towards one vision.

Business development manager vs director salary

Business development managers and directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Business Development ManagerDirector
Average salary$100,769$113,489
Salary rangeBetween $67,000 And $151,000Between $66,000 And $192,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew York
Best paying companyShearman & SterlingMayo Clinic
Best paying industryFinanceFinance

Differences between business development manager and director education

There are a few differences between a business development manager and a director in terms of educational background:

Business Development ManagerDirector
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of GeorgiaStanford University

Business development manager vs director demographics

Here are the differences between business development managers' and directors' demographics:

Business Development ManagerDirector
Average age3940
Gender ratioMale, 68.6% Female, 31.4%Male, 53.2% Female, 46.8%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage10%14%

Differences between business development manager and director duties and responsibilities

Business development manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage Seo of websites and campaigns.
  • Manage the provisioning and implementation of the cloud solutions for different customers.
  • Lead worldwide development for high traffic facilities; markets include Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific.
  • Manage the global support team and are responsible for cost reduction for the UK ready meals facility.
  • Assist in leading a team of BDM's to achieve revenue, attrition, and value add service goals.
  • Leverage in-depth knowledge of complex manage security solutions as well as extensive technical knowledge of security hardware and software.
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Director example responsibilities.

  • Manage water metering programs for NYC and national portfolio.
  • Collaborate with the CPA to manage financials and reporting / distribution to physicians.
  • Manage OEM manufacturing partners for making bulk solutions, product fills and final packaging.
  • Lead company's first deep-fill structural project, bring company into EPA compliance, establish effective QA-QC program.
  • Develop company website entirely as well as wrote and manage the SEO and upkeep for overall site maintenance.
  • Manage the company's hotel portfolio operations and assets, including renovation, new build, conversions, and rebranding.
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Business development manager vs director skills

Common business development manager skills
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • CRM, 7%
  • Healthcare, 5%
  • Business Relationships, 4%
  • Customer Relationships, 3%
  • Project Management, 3%
Common director skills
  • Healthcare, 10%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Oversight, 7%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Human Resources, 4%
  • Business Development, 4%

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