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Business unit director vs senior director

The differences between business unit directors and senior directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a business unit director, becoming a senior director takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a senior director has an average salary of $152,047, which is higher than the $135,050 average annual salary of a business unit director.

The top three skills for a business unit director include project management, digital marketing and sigma. The most important skills for a senior director are healthcare, analytics, and patients.

Business unit director vs senior director overview

Business Unit DirectorSenior Director
Yearly salary$135,050$152,047
Hourly rate$64.93$73.10
Growth rate6%10%
Number of jobs95,707131,871
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age4439
Years of experience610

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 senior director do?

Senior directors are the top management who manage the overall corporate structure of a brand. These executives take responsibility for the planning, operations, and profitability of the company. They direct and control all the functions of businesses. Their jobs cover the advertising, marketing, sales, and promotions of products and services. They are the people behind the tactical and strategic management of every asset of the enterprise through different programs.

Business unit director vs senior director salary

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

Business Unit DirectorSenior Director
Average salary$135,050$152,047
Salary rangeBetween $95,000 And $190,000Between $105,000 And $219,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaCalifornia
Best paying companyLasko ProductsApple
Best paying industryPharmaceuticalPharmaceutical

Differences between business unit director and senior director education

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

Business Unit DirectorSenior Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Georgia

Business unit director vs senior director demographics

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

Business Unit DirectorSenior Director
Average age4439
Gender ratioMale, 81.8% Female, 18.2%Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4%
Race ratioBlack 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, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between business unit director and senior 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.

Senior director example responsibilities.

  • Lead the expansion for support of public sector business in EMEA and APAC.
  • Create and deliver pitch decks, while being task with managing RFP responses.
  • Organize scrum certification training, lead departmental reorganization around scrum teams and act as scrum coach.
  • Lead assessment, design, and implementation of operational governance capabilities for the EMEA & ASIA regions.
  • Manage ongoing ITIL certification program for UK operations as required by government regulation.
  • Help project managers understand financial responsibilities and lead them in increase product delivery and ROI.
  • Show more

Business unit director vs senior 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 senior director skills
  • Healthcare, 6%
  • Analytics, 6%
  • Patients, 6%
  • Portfolio, 5%
  • Oversight, 5%
  • Project Management, 5%

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