Business unit director vs managing director

The differences between business unit directors and managing directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a business unit director and a managing director. Additionally, a business unit director has an average salary of $135,050, which is higher than the $129,690 average annual salary of a managing director.

The top three skills for a business unit director include project management, digital marketing and sigma. The most important skills for a managing director are healthcare, portfolio, and business development.

Business unit director vs managing director overview

	Business Unit Director	Managing Director
Yearly salary	$135,050	$129,690
Hourly rate	$64.93	$62.35
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	95,707	81,022
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

What does a business unit director do?

A business unit director is a person that makes sure that a segment or unit of a company meets its daily goals. The business unit director monitors the production of units in a company and provides support to increase efficiency. The business unit director's responsibility is to determine each member of a business unit's skill development to ensure the increased productive output of the entire company. The business unit director works with the company's administrative and executive departments to ensure all business units work cohesively and well-coordinated.

What does a managing director do?

A Managing Director oversees workflow and progress, making sure that all operations align within the company or organization's mission or set of goals. They are responsible for crafting strategies, devising effective business plans, and executing guidelines that would nurture a company's growth, and as well as to be the driving force that would direct employees to the company's objectives. Furthermore, a Managing Director must coordinate with those in a higher position, such as the members of the board.

Business unit director vs managing director salary

Business unit directors and managing directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Business Unit Director	Managing Director
Average salary	$135,050	$129,690
Salary range	Between $95,000 And $190,000	Between $72,000 And $233,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Alaska	New York
Best paying company	Lasko Products	Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Finance

Differences between business unit director and managing director education

There are a few differences between a business unit director and a managing director in terms of educational background:

	Business Unit Director	Managing Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Business unit director vs managing director demographics

Here are the differences between business unit directors' and managing directors' demographics:

	Business Unit Director	Managing Director
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2%	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between business unit director and managing director duties and responsibilities

Business unit director example responsibilities.

Manage a portfolio of inpatient and outpatient products market to major academic medical centers, community hospitals and nursing homes.
Manage a portfolio of inpatient and outpatient products market to major academic medical centers, community hospitals and nursing homes.
Increase EBITDA for the division.
Obtain first ISO certification for the production lines.
Conduct and complete internal reviews of domestic mutual funds and institutional operations, including compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and anti-money laundering requirements.

Managing director example responsibilities.

Create and manage the social media presence via a festival page on Facebook.
Manage all consulting resources and have overall P/L responsibilities for the Atlanta office.
Manage the lessee and lessor relationships regarding exchange seat leases with major markets, such as NYSE, AMEX, CBOE.
Manage denials and expedite managed care appeals (reimbursement reconsideration).
Manage payroll processing for thousands of industrial temporary workers and bill respective clients.
Manage the Ketera SaaS relationship for IBM with engagement development and profitability responsibilities.

Business unit director vs managing director skills

Common business unit director skills

Project Management, 17%
Digital Marketing, 14%
Sigma, 13%
Business Development, 6%
Direct Reports, 5%
Customer Satisfaction, 5%

Common managing director skills

Healthcare, 7%
Portfolio, 7%
Business Development, 6%
Oversight, 6%
Project Management, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

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Business Unit Director vs Managing Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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