What does a business director do?
Business directors are responsible for overseeing the development of an organization's business goals and objectives. They typically work to increase business revenue, identify and develop business opportunities, and expand the company's presence and its brands. Other duties and responsibilities may include establishing effective company policies, goals, and sales targets, overseeing financial and budgetary activities, and identifying ways to minimize cost and boost financial performance. Business directors are also expected to negotiate contracts with clients and suppliers and propose and develop new partnerships.
Business director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real business director resumes:
- Plan and project manage the migration, testing and deployment of a new ERP system.
- Develop various tools and processes to identify operational risk, effectively manage KPI's and monitor vendor relationships.
- Manage cost-centers and leverage unique Indian production and post- production capabilities and position the company as a prefer production partner.
- Lead ERP selection process and implementation project.
- Enter claims into Medicare system; bill Medicaid and long-term care policies.
- Provide direct operational oversight and supervision for assign dining facility.
- Transform corporate-wide KPIs and quarterly reporting process that drive accountability.
- Create and implement business scorecards with KPIs to enhance transparency and drive accountability.
- Provide product leadership within a matrix management organization, maximize harvest activities in declining business segments.
- Administer payroll including monitoring and submitting appropriate payroll information to corporate office and input of payroll corrections/adjustments.
- Facilitate processes and possess comprehensive understanding of benefits, payroll taxes and various tax implications encounter in payroll process.
- Manage a portfolio of inpatient and outpatient products market to major academic medical centers, community hospitals and nursing homes.
- Co-Le development of Medicaid/Medicare pricing strategies for product portfolio annually and tactical Medicaid contract assessments for portfolio list above.
- Retain contact with Japanese OEM s for potential 1998 and beyond fuel delivery system programs.
- Train and supervise team to handle shipments, signage, markdowns, POS transactions, and visual merchandising duties.
Business director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Business Directors are proficient in Project Management, Healthcare, and Sigma. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Management skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Business Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 10%
Provided strong and predictable project management allowing operations leaders to primarily focus on business delivery rather than offshore transitions.
- Healthcare, 8%
Initiated large-scale smoking cessation project with CentraCare HealthCare System resulting in implementation of Pfizer resources around meaningful use criteria.
- Sigma, 6%
Provided thought leadership in the identification of quantified business improvement opportunities and priorities utilizing Six Sigma and Continuous Process Improvement methods.
- Customer Service, 5%
Review and modify yearly business directives to establish, monitor and benchmark effectiveness of marketing, promotional and customer service efforts.
- Oversight, 5%
Provided academic oversight of curriculum and program development for associate, bachelor and graduate business programs presented by the College.
- Business Development, 5%
Awarded meritorious award as top corporate employee in support of minority business development by the MD/DC/VA Minority Supplier Development Council.
Common skills that a business director uses to do their job include "project management," "healthcare," and "sigma." You can find details on the most important business director responsibilities below.
Leadership skills. The most essential soft skill for a business director to carry out their responsibilities is leadership skills. This skill is important for the role because "top executives must be able to shape and direct an organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources." Additionally, a business director resume shows how their duties depend on leadership skills: "promoted to assist life and group healthcare operations strategic business units by providing direction, analytical support, and project leadership. "
Problem-solving skills. business directors are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to business director responsibilities, because "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." A business director resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "created the progressive first call resolution fcr metric that is still used today as a primary kpi. "
Time-management skills. A big part of what business directors do relies on "time-management skills." You can see how essential it is to business director responsibilities because "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical business director tasks: "record and track hours and submit for payroll processing within deadline. "
Communication skills. A commonly-found skill in business director job descriptions, "communication skills" is essential to what business directors do. Business director responsibilities rely on this skill because "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." You can also see how business director duties rely on communication skills in this resume example: "interfaced with 401(k) plan record keepers and financial advisors on issues; handled communications and payroll file uploads. "
The three companies that hire the most business directors are:
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Compare different business directors
Business director vs. Director of operations and finance
A director of operations and finance is in charge of overseeing and spearheading business and financial operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the best practices to optimize operations, coordinating with different departments to gather data, conducting research and analysis to identify new business and investment opportunities, and monitoring the progress of various projects and programs. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, business director responsibilities require skills like "healthcare," "sigma," "customer service," and "patients." Meanwhile a typical director of operations and finance has skills in areas such as "financial operations," "cpa," "financial management," and "financial data." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Directors of operations and finance tend to make the most money working in the automotive industry, where they earn an average salary of $126,734. In contrast, business directors make the biggest average salary, $129,623, in the finance industry.The education levels that directors of operations and finance earn slightly differ from business directors. In particular, directors of operations and finance are 3.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a business director. Additionally, they're 3.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Business director vs. Director of sales & business development
A director of sales & business development is responsible for monitoring the business and project plans, ensuring that the sales targets are met, according to project requirements and specifications. Directors of sales & business development perform data analysis to track business performance and identify opportunities to grow revenues and profits. They also coordinate with the clients and maintain healthy business relationships by enhancing their brand image on various platforms and reach the target audience. A director of sales & business development works closely with the marketing and sales team for public relations and marketing campaigns placement.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that business director responsibilities requires skills like "project management," "sigma," "customer service," and "oversight." But a director of sales & business development might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "value proposition," "sales cycle," "crm," and "leveraged."
Directors of sales & business development may earn a lower salary than business directors, but directors of sales & business development earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $127,443. On the other hand, business directors receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $129,623.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Directors of sales & business development tend to reach lower levels of education than business directors. In fact, they're 5.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Business director vs. Director of business operations
The position of a director of business operations involves the direction and coordination of an organization. It is the main responsibility of the directors of operations to oversee the profitability and overall growth of their organization. Their job includes staff management, department supervision, goods production, and expense control. They handle the company's resources, create and implement an operational plan, and make sure that the procedures are executed properly. The skills necessary for this position include leadership skills, management skills, customer service, and communication skills.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a business director is likely to be skilled in "healthcare," "business process," "lean six sigma," and "strategic plan," while a typical director of business operations is skilled in "kpis," "financial management," "continuous improvement," and "operational efficiency."
Directors of business operations make a very good living in the manufacturing industry with an average annual salary of $127,932. On the other hand, business directors are paid the highest salary in the finance industry, with average annual pay of $129,623.Most directors of business operations achieve a similar degree level compared to business directors. For example, they're 1.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Business director vs. Director new business development
A director of new business development is in charge of spearheading new programs and procedures, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. It is their duty to set goals and objectives in adherence to the company's vision and mission, establishing guidelines, allocating budgets, and overseeing the progress of all efforts. Furthermore, as a director of new business development, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Types of business director
Updated January 8, 2025
