Chief of staff vs executive director of operations

The differences between chiefs of staff and executive directors of operations can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a chief of staff, becoming an executive director of operations takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an executive director of operations has an average salary of $131,945, which is higher than the $130,835 average annual salary of a chief of staff.

The top three skills for a chief of staff include PET, team support and project management. The most important skills for an executive director of operations are operations management, customer satisfaction, and financial management.

Chief of staff vs executive director of operations overview

	Chief Of Staff	Executive Director Of Operations
Yearly salary	$130,835	$131,945
Hourly rate	$62.90	$63.44
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	124,272	194,783
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	52	44
Years of experience	-	6

What does a chief of staff do?

A chief of staff primarily supports an executive through performing various administrative tasks. Most of their responsibilities revolve around collaborating with other executive support personnel to devise strategies that will help the company, responding to inquiries and correspondence, approving communications letters, managing schedules, setting appointments, and serving as an advisor to the executive. Furthermore, when it comes to issues and disputes, the chief of staff must be quick to conduct research and perform damage control to help the executive and the company rise from the occasion.

What does an executive director of operations do?

Executive Directors of Operations are top management employees of a nonprofit. They manage the whole operations of the company. They set annual strategic goals to bring the company closer to its vision. They oversee all of the company's programs and ensure that these programs are in line with the company's vision and mission. They also ensure that the partnerships formed with other organizations remain strong. As leaders, they are expected to motivate and inspire the employees to work well together. Executive Directors of Operations represent the company in external events, industry functions, and other activities.

Chief of staff vs executive director of operations salary

Chiefs of staff and executive directors of operations have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chief Of Staff	Executive Director Of Operations
Average salary	$130,835	$131,945
Salary range	Between $85,000 And $200,000	Between $85,000 And $203,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Hartford, CT
Highest paying state	California	Connecticut
Best paying company	Lyft	Billings Clinic
Best paying industry	Start-up	Finance

Differences between chief of staff and executive director of operations education

There are a few differences between a chief of staff and an executive director of operations in terms of educational background:

	Chief Of Staff	Executive Director Of Operations
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Chief of staff vs executive director of operations demographics

Here are the differences between chiefs of staff' and executive directors of operations' demographics:

	Chief Of Staff	Executive Director Of Operations
Average age	52	44
Gender ratio	Male, 62.0% Female, 38.0%	Male, 64.1% Female, 35.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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%
LGBT Percentage	12%	10%

Differences between chief of staff and executive director of operations duties and responsibilities

Chief of staff example responsibilities.

Lead headquarters (HQ) operations staff.
Manage the G3's fiscal year budget planning, formulation, and execution.
Supervise the G2 administrative section and maintain and manage the G2 budget and material resources.
Manage the predeployment training and the deployment process to receiving commands, and subsequent redeployment and deactivation.
Manage budgets of $75,000 to $22 million paying keen attention to cost containment and ROI.
Credit for managing and improving the HAZMAT program, which serve as a benchmark example for the base community.

Executive director of operations example responsibilities.

Finance and billing accountability across Medicaid, manage care commercial insurance, insurance verification, contract management, and benefits administration.
Design, implementation and parental oversight of local operational policies and processes.
Assure high-level supply chain management for distribution logistics purposes and direct clientele relations.
Advance to increasingly responsible positions, culminating in management role with oversight of company operations.
Direct $2.4 billion facility with over 1,200 associates to administer effective technology distribution and third-party logistics functions.
Develop numerous tactics, techniques and procedures necessary for the successful employment of reconnaissance aircraft supporting military combat forces.

Chief of staff vs executive director of operations skills

Common chief of staff skills

PET, 15%
Team Support, 11%
Project Management, 8%
Oversight, 7%
Direct Reports, 6%
Marketing Campaigns, 6%

Common executive director of operations skills

Operations Management, 13%
Customer Satisfaction, 8%
Financial Management, 8%
Oversight, 7%
Medicare, 7%
Home Health, 6%

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Chief Of Staff vs Executive Director Of Operations

Updated January 8, 2025

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