Contracts manager vs contracts director

The differences between contracts managers and contracts directors 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 manager and a contracts director. Additionally, a contracts director has an average salary of $73,351, which is higher than the $72,691 average annual salary of a contracts manager.

The top three skills for a contracts manager include contract management, contract administration and contract terms. The most important skills for a contracts director are contract management, oversight, and contract terms.

Contracts manager vs contracts director overview

	Contracts Manager	Contracts Director
Yearly salary	$72,691	$73,351
Hourly rate	$34.95	$35.26
Growth rate	-6%	-6%
Number of jobs	13,218	12,378
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a contracts manager do?

A contract manager is responsible for finalizing contract agreements between the company and its clients, revising documents, creating procurement proposals, and managing breach of contracts immediately. Contract managers respond to clients' inquiries and concerns about the contract's terms, conditions, and adjustment requests. They should be highly knowledgeable with legal terms and legislation regulations, ensuring that documents align with their objectives. The contract manager should also stay updated with the latest trends to meet contract demands, identify more business opportunities to boost revenues, and achieve profitability goals.

What does a contracts director do?

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 manager vs contracts director salary

Contracts managers and contracts directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Contracts Manager	Contracts Director
Average salary	$72,691	$73,351
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $116,000	Between $46,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	McKinsey & Company Inc	Edwards Lifesciences
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between contracts manager and contracts director education

There are a few differences between a contracts manager and a contracts director in terms of educational background:

	Contracts Manager	Contracts Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Contracts manager vs contracts director demographics

Here are the differences between contracts managers' and contracts directors' demographics:

	Contracts Manager	Contracts Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 54.0% Female, 46.0%	Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 7.4% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between contracts manager and contracts director duties and responsibilities

Contracts manager example responsibilities.

Manage ISO requirements for sales and marketing.
Manage IDIQ contracts including task and delivery orders.
Manage RFI's and change orders through close out.
Manage all material for a non MRP driven program manually.
Coach and direct the IPT for use of proper policies to achieve goals.
Lead two DCAA audits for a $60 million project resulting in no-cost findings during tenure as manager.

Contracts director example responsibilities.

Manage client audits (EPA, DCAA, local and state agencies) to resolve audit and rate variances.
Prepare and execute contractual documents: contracts, NDAs, consulting agreements, and subcontracts to achieve best value for company.
Establish managed care Medicaid funding models with several major integrate medical delivery systems.
Manage administrative support, handle payroll, develop company policies and procedures manual.
Target negotiations for development areas including Medicaid and Medicare products.
Review and sign off on final documents for the issuance of RFP solicitations and the execution of contracts and supplemental agreements.

Contracts manager vs contracts director skills

Common contracts manager skills

Contract Management, 9%
Contract Administration, 6%
Contract Terms, 5%
Project Management, 5%
Customer Service, 4%
Proposal Preparation, 3%

Common contracts director skills

Contract Management, 8%
Oversight, 6%
Contract Terms, 6%
Strong Analytical, 6%
Contract Administration, 6%
Project Management, 4%

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Contracts Manager
Contracts Manager vs Contracts Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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