Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between creative leads and senior directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a creative lead and a senior director. Additionally, a senior director has an average salary of $152,047, which is higher than the $93,742 average annual salary of a creative lead.
The top three skills for a creative lead include sketch, project management and adobe creative suite. The most important skills for a senior director are healthcare, analytics, and patients.
| Creative Lead | Senior Director | |
| Yearly salary | $93,742 | $152,047 |
| Hourly rate | $45.07 | $73.10 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 6,384 | 131,871 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
A creative lead is responsible for leading a team of creative staff in conceptualizing designs according to project requirements and client specifications. Creative leads must have excellent technical and critical-thinking skills for utilizing various software tools and applications to generate designs and adjust initial outlines as needed. They also assist the creative staff with the documentation and submission of layouts that meet quality standards and budget limitations. A creative lead works closely with the creative director to establish creative solutions that would attract the audience and enhance the brand's image on market platforms.
Senior directors are the top management who manage the overall corporate structure of a brand. These executives take responsibility for the planning, operations, and profitability of the company. They direct and control all the functions of businesses. Their jobs cover the advertising, marketing, sales, and promotions of products and services. They are the people behind the tactical and strategic management of every asset of the enterprise through different programs.
Creative leads and senior directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Lead | Senior Director | |
| Average salary | $93,742 | $152,047 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $169,000 | Between $105,000 And $219,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a creative lead and a senior director in terms of educational background:
| Creative Lead | Senior Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Business |
| Most common college | University of Wisconsin - Madison | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between creative leads' and senior directors' demographics:
| Creative Lead | Senior Director | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9% | Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |