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.
Deputy director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real deputy director resumes:
- 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.
- Create and maintain SharePoint site for production of financial reports, such as balance sheets, expense reports and income statements.
- Assist with Medicare billing and review patient plans of care.
- Monitor and report on activities to USAID on a monthly basis.
- Ensure compliance with state regulations in orders admitting wills into probate.
- Design and maintain SharePoint portal to store all documents, presentations and archive documents.
- Create and track status of projects to include funding, manpower and hardware/software costs.
- Monitor social media for trending stories regarding the NYPD and crime in the city.
- Perform legal research and prepare memoranda of law using NYPD regulations and case law.
- Perform supervisory duties such as ensuring compliance with EEO, time and attendance, and training.
Deputy director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Deputy Directors are proficient in Oversight, Policy Development, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Management skills, Problem-solving skills, and Time-management skills.
We break down the percentage of Deputy Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Oversight, 11%
Delegated the technical and communications responsibilities to the Project Leads and provide oversight and strategic direction to ensure a successful conference.
- Policy Development, 6%
Manage departmental accounting, reporting, capitalization, procurement, facilities, personnel, and associated policy development.
- Customer Service, 6%
Developed and implemented decisive, high-impact initiatives that aggressively cut costs while minimizing impact on profit margins and customer service.
- Human Resources, 6%
Ensured that organizational staffing requirements and goals were properly allocated with human resources and appropriate matches for job assignments monthly.
- Project Management, 5%
Managed a team of five program managers and introduced project management techniques and processes that resulted in increased productivity and performance.
- Public Health, 4%
Managed Primary Health Care Services, including over 400 staff to deliver comprehensive public health, epidemiological management and environmental services.
Common skills that a deputy director uses to do their job include "oversight," "policy development," and "customer service." You can find details on the most important deputy director responsibilities below.
Problem-solving skills. Another essential skill to perform deputy director duties is problem-solving skills. Deputy directors responsibilities require that "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." Deputy directors also use problem-solving skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "provided solutions to solve technology system issues related to selecting an enterprise replacement system that interface with all government agencies. "
Time-management skills. This is an important skill for deputy directors to perform their duties. For an example of how deputy director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a deputy director: "apply strategic planning, prioritization and project management skills toward consistently achieving critical deadlines while maintaining high quality standards. ".
Communication skills. For certain deputy director responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "communication skills." The day-to-day duties of a deputy director rely on this skill, as "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what deputy directors do: "composed all communications, including press releases and congressional and member correspondence, on issues from social security to e-commerce. "
Leadership skills. Another crucial skill for a deputy director to carry out their responsibilities is "leadership skills." A big part of what deputy directors relies on this skill, since "top executives must be able to shape and direct an organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources." How this skill relates to deputy director duties can be seen in an example from a deputy director resume snippet: "recognized personally by the regional supervisor with an award for superior leadership and strong management skills"
The three companies that hire the most deputy directors are:
- Sanofi US12 deputy directors jobs
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation8 deputy directors jobs
- International Rescue Committee6 deputy directors jobs
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Compare different deputy directors
Deputy director vs. Chief of staff
A chief of staff primarily supports an executive through performing various administrative tasks. Most of their responsibilities revolve around collaborating with other executive support personnel to devise strategies that will help the company, responding to inquiries and correspondence, approving communications letters, managing schedules, setting appointments, and serving as an advisor to the executive. Furthermore, when it comes to issues and disputes, the chief of staff must be quick to conduct research and perform damage control to help the executive and the company rise from the occasion.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a deputy director are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "public health," "financial management," and "direct supervision." On the other hand, a job as a chief of staff requires skills like "pet," "team support," "good judgment," and "marketing campaigns." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Chiefs of staff earn the highest salaries when working in the start-up industry, with an average yearly salary of $135,040. On the other hand, deputy directors are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $101,934.chiefs of staff tend to reach similar levels of education than deputy directors. In fact, chiefs of staff are 3.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Deputy director vs. President/chief executive officer
Considered as the highest authority in a company, a president/chief executive officer is in charge of leading the company by implementing corporate decisions and shaping the organization to its fullest extent. They must craft strategic plans and guidelines, enforce policies and standards, direct the vision and mission, and address the public as the head of the company. Furthermore, a president/chief executive officer must maintain an active line of communication at all times as they must report to a board of directors and coordinate with other company employees.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, deputy director responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "policy development," "customer service," "project management," and "public health." Meanwhile, a president/chief executive officer has duties that require skills in areas such as "revenue growth," "product development," "strategic partnerships," and "business plan." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
President/chief executive officers may earn a higher salary than deputy directors, but president/chief executive officers earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $179,795. On the other hand, deputy directors receive higher pay in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $101,934.In general, president/chief executive officers achieve lower levels of education than deputy directors. They're 5.0% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Deputy director vs. Senior vice president-operations
Senior Vice Presidents for Operations are top management employees who oversee the company's operations. They report to the company's Chief Executive Officer or roles equivalent to such. They are expected to be very familiar with everything related to the company, such as its products, services, and production activities, among others. As such, they would be able to create strategies that would elevate the performance of the company. They are heavily involved in the decision-making related to the different departments in operations. Senior Vice Presidents for Operations manage different departments related to operations. They ensure that all factors in operations contribute to the company's success.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, deputy directors are more likely to have skills like "policy development," "public health," "financial management," and "direct supervision." But a senior vice president-operations is more likely to have skills like "financial performance," "svp," "risk management," and "operational risk."
Senior vice presidents-operations make a very good living in the manufacturing industry with an average annual salary of $174,554. On the other hand, deputy directors are paid the highest salary in the government industry, with average annual pay of $101,934.Most senior vice presidents-operations achieve a similar degree level compared to deputy directors. For example, they're 4.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Deputy director vs. Associate vice president
An associate vice president's role is to implement the company's policies and regulations, all while overseeing the business operations within a particular area. Typically responding to a president or stakeholders, an associate vice president's responsibilities revolve around supervising management officials, devising strategies to boost sales and public brand awareness, liaise with external key suppliers and agencies, and craft new policies when necessary. Furthermore, an associate vice president must promptly respond to issues and concerns and develop a budget for the company.
Types of deputy director
Updated January 8, 2025
