Chief administrative officer vs associate director

The differences between chief administrative officers and associate directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a chief administrative officer has an average salary of $174,185, which is higher than the $114,223 average annual salary of an associate director.

The top three skills for a chief administrative officer include human resources, oversight and financial management. The most important skills for an associate director are patients, healthcare, and project management.

Chief administrative officer vs associate director overview

	Chief Administrative Officer	Associate Director
Yearly salary	$174,185	$114,223
Hourly rate	$83.74	$54.91
Growth rate	7%	8%
Number of jobs	123,074	72,370
Job satisfaction	5	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	50	47
Years of experience	2	-

What does a chief administrative officer do?

A chief administrative officer's responsibilities revolve around overseeing the company's daily operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They typically devise strategies to improve workforce performance, perform research and analysis to identify new business opportunities, prepare progress and financial reports, delegate tasks to department managers, and set objectives for them to uphold. Furthermore, as a chief administrative officer, it is essential to lead and encourage different departments to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations, recommending new ones as needed.

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.

Chief administrative officer vs associate director salary

Chief administrative officers and associate directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chief Administrative Officer	Associate Director
Average salary	$174,185	$114,223
Salary range	Between $109,000 And $277,000	Between $79,000 And $164,000
Highest paying City	Chicago, IL	South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Vermont	New Jersey
Best paying company	Bon Secours Community Hospital	Legalmatch.com
Best paying industry	Health Care	Pharmaceutical

Differences between chief administrative officer and associate director education

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

	Chief Administrative Officer	Associate Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Chief administrative officer vs associate director demographics

Here are the differences between chief administrative officers' and associate directors' demographics:

	Chief Administrative Officer	Associate Director
Average age	50	47
Gender ratio	Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1%	Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black 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%
LGBT Percentage	5%	10%

Differences between chief administrative officer and associate director duties and responsibilities

Chief administrative officer example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain database (FMP), sales sheets and track windows.
Manage and supervise the accounting and bookkeeping functions including budgeting, payroll and inventory.
Coordinate outside CPA review and year-end closing.
Develop systematic procedures for the effective use of the ERP system.
Review and report survey feedback findings to state Medicaid and other agencies, utilizing information to make call center improvements.
Implement major ERP software project enhancements design to further streamline operations.

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.

Chief administrative officer vs associate director skills

Common chief administrative officer skills

Human Resources, 12%
Oversight, 11%
Financial Management, 8%
Payroll, 5%
Risk Management, 5%
Strategic Direction, 4%

Common associate director skills

Patients, 11%
Healthcare, 8%
Project Management, 6%
Oversight, 6%
Portfolio, 6%
Excellent Interpersonal, 5%

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Chief Administrative Officer
Chief Administrative Officer vs Associate Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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