What does a Corporate Director do?
A corporate director is a business individual who is an elected or appointed member of the board of directors that directs or manages a corporation. Corporate directors are responsible for making decisions regarding the supervision of the entire enterprise as well as their products and services. They are in control of others' property and are liable to both their individual and joint actions. Corporate directors are also bound by the duty to act within the scope of their authority and must exercise due care in the performance of their corporate tasks.
Corporate director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real corporate director resumes:
- Lead corporate governance and compliance functions and manage securities law and relate issues for ESOP (employee-own) enterprise.
- Manage RFP for selection of new benefit consultants.
- Manage the RFP development and review process through to vendor selection and contract finalization.
- Manage accounting staff to provide accurate financial close in compliance with all internal control and SOX requirements.
- Manage EHS compliance for a large-scale construction company specializing in smokestack construction.
- Manage activities of divisional quality representatives for compliance to ISO 9001 and quality initiatives.
- Demonstrate exceptional communication skills in facilitating corporate compliance oversight and adherence to code of ethics.
- Coordinate month-end close process, account reconciliations, analysis of reserves and departmental projects to improve cost-reduction processes.
- Implement a new AML transaction monitoring system.
- Ensure EEO and other legal compliance, interpret state and federal regulations.
- Perform monthly account reconciliations and prepare monthly financial statements with analysis for CFO for final approval for distribution to investors.
- Report directly to President/CEO, assisting in strategic contract arrangements, business development, project forecasting and oversight of business infrastructure.
- Experience in all matters of litigation.
- Establish division KPIs, measurements, reports, scorecards and status reporting.
- Design and implement fintech products and services in the commercial credit sector.
Corporate director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 7% of Corporate Directors are proficient in Project Management, Oversight, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Leadership skills, and Analytical skills.
We break down the percentage of Corporate Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 7%
Established consistent Project Management, Project Governance and Project Portfolio Management processes allowing for accurate reporting of project metrics and KPI.
- Oversight, 7%
Coordinated merger administrative oversight of accounting function, including preparation of integration/transition status updates for accounting leadership team and senior management.
- Customer Service, 6%
Analyzed, justified, and initiated the implementation of on board transportation technologies to improve customer service and driver productivity.
- Financial Statements, 5%
Completed preparation of consolidated financial statements and reporting packet for 13 affiliated companies, reports to management and Board of Directors.
- Patients, 5%
Implemented a national research project identifying cardiac-risk patients in Cleveland.
- Business Development, 4%
Developed and implemented a successful volume building strategy for executive business development using social media and marketing strategies.
Most corporate directors use their skills in "project management," "oversight," and "customer service" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential corporate director responsibilities here:
Customer-service skills. One of the key soft skills for a corporate director to have is customer-service skills. You can see how this relates to what corporate directors do because "when helping to make a sale, sales managers must listen and respond to the customer’s needs." Additionally, a corporate director resume shows how corporate directors use customer-service skills: "support mergers and acquisition activity, participate in customer due diligence activities and assist in customer integration post-acquisition closing. "
Leadership skills. Another essential skill to perform corporate director duties is leadership skills. Corporate directors responsibilities require that "sales managers must be able to evaluate how their sales staff performs and must develop strategies for meeting sales goals." Corporate directors also use leadership skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "provided executive leadership for comprehensive peoplesoft erp implementation resulting in successful on- schedule systems conversion. "
Analytical skills. corporate directors are also known for analytical skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to corporate director responsibilities, because "sales managers must collect and interpret complex data to target the most promising geographic areas and demographic groups, and determine the most effective sales strategies." A corporate director resume example shows how analytical skills is used in the workplace: "planned and built a new corporate data center in the lititz manufacturing facility to house our erp and network systems. "
Communication skills. A big part of what corporate directors do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to corporate director responsibilities because "sales managers need to work with colleagues and customers, so they must be able to communicate clearly." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical corporate director tasks: "participated in the due diligence, employee communication, day one activities and integration of new acquisition. "
The three companies that hire the most corporate directors are:
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Compare different corporate directors
Corporate director vs. Director of operations and finance
A director of operations and finance is in charge of overseeing and spearheading business and financial operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the best practices to optimize operations, coordinating with different departments to gather data, conducting research and analysis to identify new business and investment opportunities, and monitoring the progress of various projects and programs. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a corporate director are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "financial statements," "patients," and "continuous improvement." On the other hand, a job as a director of operations and finance requires skills like "financial operations," "cpa," "financial management," and "financial reports." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Directors of operations and finance tend to make the most money working in the automotive industry, where they earn an average salary of $126,734. In contrast, corporate directors make the biggest average salary, $164,071, in the finance industry.The education levels that directors of operations and finance earn slightly differ from corporate directors. In particular, directors of operations and finance are 4.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a corporate director. Additionally, they're 1.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Corporate director vs. Director of business operations
The position of a director of business operations involves the direction and coordination of an organization. It is the main responsibility of the directors of operations to oversee the profitability and overall growth of their organization. Their job includes staff management, department supervision, goods production, and expense control. They handle the company's resources, create and implement an operational plan, and make sure that the procedures are executed properly. The skills necessary for this position include leadership skills, management skills, customer service, and communication skills.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, corporate director responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "strategic plan," "regulatory compliance," "gaap," and "external auditors." Meanwhile, a director of business operations has duties that require skills in areas such as "business operations," "kpis," "financial management," and "excellent interpersonal." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, directors of business operations earn a lower salary than corporate directors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, directors of business operations earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $127,932. Whereas corporate directors have higher pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $164,071.In general, directors of business operations achieve similar levels of education than corporate directors. They're 2.0% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Corporate director vs. Director, special projects
The primary responsibility of a director of special projects is to ensure the successful conclusion of construction-related projects. Special project directors lead, organize, and perform corporate projects outside their duties. They utilize project management, business process management, and change management disciplines for timely and cost-effective initiatives delivery. It is part of their responsibilities to collaborate with business leaders and entrepreneurs to perform corporate programs and initiatives. They also manage process enhancements and various special programs.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from corporate director resumes include skills like "customer service," "patients," "continuous improvement," and "risk management," whereas a director, special projects is more likely to list skills in "website content," "hipaa," "data analysis," and "program management. "
Directors, special projects earn the highest salary when working in the manufacturing industry, where they receive an average salary of $130,125. Comparatively, corporate directors have the highest earning potential in the finance industry, with an average salary of $164,071.Most directors, special projects achieve a similar degree level compared to corporate directors. For example, they're 2.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Corporate director vs. Operations vice president
The responsibilities of an operations vice president will revolve around overseeing business operations and ensuring workforce and workflow efficiency through evaluations and providing strategic plans that would drive the company to meet its vision and mission. An operations vice president, in adherence to the company policies and regulations, also has the power to hire and train employees, even to execute disciplinary actions such as termination or suspension when necessary. Furthermore, an operations vice president also has discretion in reviewing and approving reports and requirements in various aspects such as budgeting and new policies.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between corporate directors and operations vice presidents, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a corporate director might have more use for skills like "patients," "financial analysis," "gaap," and "external auditors." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of operations vice presidents require skills like "on-time delivery," "product development," "kpis," and "business plan. "
The hospitality industry tends to pay the highest salaries for operations vice presidents, with average annual pay of $167,073. Comparatively, the highest corporate director annual salary comes from the finance industry.The average resume of operations vice presidents showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to corporate directors. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 3.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.3%.Types of corporate director
Updated January 8, 2025
