Department director vs deputy director

The differences between department directors and deputy directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a department director, becoming a deputy director takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a deputy director has an average salary of $100,190, which is higher than the $97,804 average annual salary of a department director.

The top three skills for a department director include patient care, patients and healthcare. The most important skills for a deputy director are oversight, policy development, and customer service.

Department director vs deputy director overview

	Department Director	Deputy Director
Yearly salary	$97,804	$100,190
Hourly rate	$47.02	$48.17
Growth rate	28%	6%
Number of jobs	73,424	41,439
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	47	52
Years of experience	6	-

What does a department director do?

A Department Director spearheads and oversees the operations of a department, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Although their responsibilities vary upon the functions of a department, they typically have the power to decide on projects and programs. Their responsibilities include setting goals, establishing budgets and guidelines, representing the department at meetings and media coverages, liaising with external business partners, managing staff, and monitoring the progress of operations. Moreover, a Department Director leads and encourages staff to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

What does a deputy director do?

Deputy directors supervise a team of workers and oversee the daily functions of their organizations. They coordinate with the company's executive director in preparing long-term strategies to achieve organizational goals. It is their job to make sure that these goals are met through the company's available resources. They aid alliances so that conversation objectives will be achieved. When complex issues arise, they collaborate with scientists and policy experts for resolution.

Department director vs deputy director salary

Department directors and deputy directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Department Director	Deputy Director
Average salary	$97,804	$100,190
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $148,000	Between $57,000 And $174,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	Anna Jaques Hospital	Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between department director and deputy director education

There are a few differences between a department director and a deputy director in terms of educational background:

	Department Director	Deputy Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Department director vs deputy director demographics

Here are the differences between department directors' and deputy directors' demographics:

	Department Director	Deputy Director
Average age	47	52
Gender ratio	Male, 52.8% Female, 47.2%	Male, 64.6% Female, 35.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.9% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 7.7% White, 76.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between department director and deputy director duties and responsibilities

Department director example responsibilities.

Manage and direct bureau operations, and provide oversight of criminal investigations of statewide importance.
Establish and develop relationships with ERP and consulting vendors with the goal of maximizing comparative advantage and cost efficient solution development.
Ensure compliance with all CMS regulations.
Provide public education in the areas of fire department capabilities and history as well as CPR classes.
Follow up and coordination of rehabilitation services.
Cross-Train pre-operative and PACU staff to optimize efficiency.

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Deputy director example responsibilities.

Manage ISO and OFCCP compliance.
Manage the cleaning and horticulture operation for NYC's highways.
Manage alarm reports and notification to QA from cGMP equipment and critical systems.
Establish and lead engineering-wide functions such as technical publications, source code management and release processes, and QA.
Manage all CIO time and team resource allocation decisions to ensure the CIO addressed the highest priorities across the company.
Manage payroll department operations and staff while assessing procedures and processes as necessary.

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Department director vs deputy director skills

Common department director skills

Patient Care, 15%
Patients, 14%
Healthcare, 13%
Oversight, 8%
Human Resources, 5%
Payroll, 4%

Common deputy director skills

Oversight, 11%
Policy Development, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
Human Resources, 6%
Project Management, 5%
Public Health, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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