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The differences between contracts directors and contracts administration managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a contracts director and a contracts administration manager. Additionally, a contracts director has an average salary of $73,351, which is higher than the $72,869 average annual salary of a contracts administration manager.
The top three skills for a contracts director include contract management, oversight and contract terms. The most important skills for a contracts administration manager are contract administration, proposal preparation, and contract management.
| Contracts Director | Contracts Administration Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $73,351 | $72,869 |
| Hourly rate | $35.26 | $35.03 |
| Growth rate | -6% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 12,378 | 10,694 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A contract director is primarily in charge of developing and negotiating contracts with clients and partners, ensuring adherence to the company's policies and regulations. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing extensive research and analysis to foresee potential advantages and disadvantages, coordinating with analysts and other experts, monitoring the progress of operations to ensure contract compliance of both parties, and overseeing the development of proposals within the organization. Furthermore, as a contract director, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach goals, all while implementing the mission and vision of the company.
Contracts administration managers are responsible for negotiating and administering government and commercial contracts, preparing proposals, and ensuring that they comply with all company policies and legal requirements. These managers report the progress of their projects to top management during meetings. They manage the performance of their staff daily. Their job involves participating in developing, formulating, and revising policies, procedures, and templates. They also support their finance and program teams in communicating with their clients to ensure that invoices are made timely and accurately.
Contracts directors and contracts administration managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contracts Director | Contracts Administration Manager | |
| Average salary | $73,351 | $72,869 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $116,000 | Between $46,000 And $114,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Arlington, VA |
| Highest paying state | California | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Edwards Lifesciences | Deloitte |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Utilities |
There are a few differences between a contracts director and a contracts administration manager in terms of educational background:
| Contracts Director | Contracts Administration Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between contracts directors' and contracts administration managers' demographics:
| Contracts Director | Contracts Administration Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9% | Male, 42.9% Female, 57.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 7.4% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |