Chief science officer vs managing director

The differences between chief science officers and managing directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a chief science officer, becoming a managing director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a managing director has an average salary of $129,690, which is higher than the $126,094 average annual salary of a chief science officer.

The top three skills for a chief science officer include R, business strategy and oversight. The most important skills for a managing director are healthcare, portfolio, and business development.

Chief science officer vs managing director overview

	Chief Science Officer	Managing Director
Yearly salary	$126,094	$129,690
Hourly rate	$60.62	$62.35
Growth rate	16%	6%
Number of jobs	69,119	81,022
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	47	44
Years of experience	8	6

What does a chief science officer do?

Chief Science Officers are responsible for leading the scientific operations of an organization. Their duties include developing scientific strategies, directing clinical trial designs, implementing research processes, and communicating the scientific vision to investors and senior management. Besides that, they are involved in managing the scientific budget, identifying research opportunities, and fostering scientific partnerships with key stakeholders. Chief Science Officers are also involved in creating research programs, track research milestones, and source for funding channels. They produce research and development reports and provide mentorship to the research team.

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.

Chief science officer vs managing director salary

Chief science officers and managing directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chief Science Officer	Managing Director
Average salary	$126,094	$129,690
Salary range	Between $83,000 And $190,000	Between $72,000 And $233,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Alaska	New York
Best paying company	Community Health Systems	Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Finance

Differences between chief science officer and managing director education

There are a few differences between a chief science officer and a managing director in terms of educational background:

	Chief Science Officer	Managing Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Biology	Business
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	University of Pennsylvania

Chief science officer vs managing director demographics

Here are the differences between chief science officers' and managing directors' demographics:

	Chief Science Officer	Managing Director
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 73.7% Female, 26.3%	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 12.8% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	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	11%	10%

Differences between chief science officer and managing director duties and responsibilities

Chief science officer example responsibilities.

Lead spinout and IP strategy of NewCo for pulmonary business.
Manage project/validation deliverables using Sharepoint.
Establish strong, long-term philanthropic partnerships.
Establish quality control standards for IRB documentation, HIPAA compliance, patient confidentiality.
Apply for FDA approval for finish projects and products and lead patents and grants application.
Oversee implementation and evaluation of programmatic investments and collaborative partnerships.

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.

Chief science officer vs managing director skills

Common chief science officer skills

R, 17%
Business Strategy, 11%
Oversight, 8%
Program Development, 7%
Partnerships, 6%
Professional Development, 5%

Common managing director skills

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

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Chief Science Officer vs Managing Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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