Deputy director vs chief operating officer

The differences between deputy directors and chief operating officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes More than 10 years to become both a deputy director and a chief operating officer. Additionally, a chief operating officer has an average salary of $136,604, which is higher than the $100,190 average annual salary of a deputy director.

The top three skills for a deputy director include oversight, policy development and customer service. The most important skills for a chief operating officer are healthcare, customer service, and oversight.

Deputy director vs chief operating officer overview

	Deputy Director	Chief Operating Officer
Yearly salary	$100,190	$136,604
Hourly rate	$48.17	$65.67
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	41,439	128,993
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	52	52
Years of experience	-	-

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.

What does a chief operating officer do?

A chief operating officer, also known as a COO, is a high-ranking official who oversees a company or organization's daily administrative and overall operations. They are typically the second in the chain of command, reporting directly to the company's chief executive officer, also known as a CEO. Among their duties include developing strategies and guidelines, reviewing reports, performing assessments, and implementing the company's policies, standards, and regulations. Additionally, they lead and empower staff to reach goals, helping solve issues and concerns when any arise.

Deputy director vs chief operating officer salary

Deputy directors and chief operating officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Deputy Director	Chief Operating Officer
Average salary	$100,190	$136,604
Salary range	Between $57,000 And $174,000	Between $81,000 And $229,000
Highest paying City	Olympia, WA	Jersey City, NJ
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation	Baker McKenzie
Best paying industry	Government	Manufacturing

Differences between deputy director and chief operating officer education

There are a few differences between a deputy director and a chief operating officer in terms of educational background:

	Deputy Director	Chief Operating Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Deputy director vs chief operating officer demographics

Here are the differences between deputy directors' and chief operating officers' demographics:

	Deputy Director	Chief Operating Officer
Average age	52	52
Gender ratio	Male, 64.6% Female, 35.4%	Male, 76.6% Female, 23.4%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between deputy director and chief operating officer duties and responsibilities

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.

Chief operating officer example responsibilities.

Manage the RFP process and present investment packages to local and regional lenders to procure acquisition and long term debt financing.
Develop and integrate care services, achieve and maintain JCAHO accreditation.
Attain ISO registration, resulting in excellent documentation and adherence to operational and administrative process controls.
Manage the implementation of a new supply base global ERP system that reduce inventory and enable just-in-time delivery.
Establish, manage and coordinate activities of this start-up management company specializing in turning around trouble health insurance plans.
Manage all financial functions including controlling/accounting, board and regulatory reporting, treasury and cash management, and asset/liability management.

Deputy director vs chief operating officer skills

Common deputy director skills

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

Common chief operating officer skills

Healthcare, 11%
Customer Service, 8%
Oversight, 7%
Financial Management, 7%
Business Strategies, 6%
Human Resources, 6%

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Deputy Director
Deputy Director vs Chief Operating Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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