Client services director vs director of professional services

The differences between client services directors and directors of professional services can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a client services director, becoming a director of professional services takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a director of professional services has an average salary of $140,429, which is higher than the $117,337 average annual salary of a client services director.

The top three skills for a client services director include client service, customer service and business development. The most important skills for a director of professional services are healthcare, client facing, and software development.

Client services director vs director of professional services overview

	Client Services Director	Director Of Professional Services
Yearly salary	$117,337	$140,429
Hourly rate	$56.41	$67.51
Growth rate	5%	28%
Number of jobs	103,218	125,635
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	46	47
Years of experience	8	6

What does a client services director do?

A client services director is responsible for maintaining healthy business relationships with clients, ensuring that operational teams provide the highest quality services for the clients, following their deliverables and business requirements. Client services directors oversee project management procedures, identifying inconsistencies, and revising business plans to improve outputs and achieve client satisfaction. They also recommend cost-reduction techniques, as well as processes to maximize productivity and enhance the utilization of resources. A client services director coordinates with the clients for progress updates, as well as informing them of adjustments and opportunities for business development.

What does a director of professional services do?

A director of professional services is responsible for evaluating and improving the professional services offered by the firm. Directors of professional services assess the operational processes and systems to ensure high-quality outputs and deliverables. They review contracts for project requirements and specifications and design strategic techniques to achieve goals and objectives within the budget limitations and agreed timetables. A director of professional services must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in directing the project team for project solutions.

Client services director vs director of professional services salary

Client services directors and directors of professional services have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Client Services Director	Director Of Professional Services
Average salary	$117,337	$140,429
Salary range	Between $84,000 And $162,000	Between $94,000 And $207,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Mateo, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Maine
Best paying company	First Republic Bank	Kootenai Health
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between client services director and director of professional services education

There are a few differences between a client services director and a director of professional services in terms of educational background:

	Client Services Director	Director Of Professional Services
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Client services director vs director of professional services demographics

Here are the differences between client services directors' and directors of professional services' demographics:

	Client Services Director	Director Of Professional Services
Average age	46	47
Gender ratio	Male, 45.1% Female, 54.9%	Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 8.1% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	12%

Differences between client services director and director of professional services duties and responsibilities

Client services director example responsibilities.

Manage both internal personnel and external vendor relationships for web development, SEO, and SEM projects.
Lead full cycle implementations of SaaS solution from requirements building, through application development, QA/UAT, and production migration.
Manage SLA agreements with major clients, ensuring that all stakeholders are in compliance with the provisions of the agreement.
Reconfigure and optimize Salesforce capabilities to better track and manage accounts.
Manage and facilitate new hire orientation, administer employment on-boarding process for contingent workforce, process and audit weekly contingent payroll.
Maintain effective fiscal management of caseload by accurately processing field payroll, monitoring caseload metrics and managing billing and pay rates.

Director of professional services example responsibilities.

Plan and manage software implementations, data conversions, ERP integration and document imaging.
Used SQL statements to automate the download of lab and radiological data into a study's database.
Lead clients and internal consultants, develop and implement standard CRM tools, methodologies and practices in operations / practice management.
Manage professional services business in the Americas.
Create and manage PMO project execution support for seamlessly integrating new services offerings into delivery operations.
Manage pharmacy integration to EHR project; complete functional and system requirements, and identify pharmacy vendor.

Client services director vs director of professional services skills

Common client services director skills

Client Service, 11%
Customer Service, 8%
Business Development, 7%
Excellent Interpersonal, 4%
Project Management, 4%
Healthcare, 4%

Common director of professional services skills

Healthcare, 13%
Client Facing, 12%
Software Development, 8%
Business Development, 7%
Application Development, 6%
Enterprise Sales, 5%

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Client Services Director
Client Services Director vs Director Of Professional Services

Updated January 8, 2025

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