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The differences between development directors and senior development managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a development director, becoming a senior development manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a senior development manager has an average salary of $141,487, which is higher than the $107,044 average annual salary of a development director.
The top three skills for a development director include digital marketing, oversight and patients. The most important skills for a senior development manager are java, software development, and cloud.
| Development Director | Senior Development Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $107,044 | $141,487 |
| Hourly rate | $51.46 | $68.02 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 63,008 | 148,732 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 8 |
A development director is an individual who is responsible for securing funds and sponsors for non-profit organizations. Development directors must actively seek new business partners and develop relationships with volunteers and donors. They meet with members of the development team to help advertise and promote brand awareness and funding. Development directors must possess skills and experience in managing human resources, marketing, and budgeting functions. They must also obtain a bachelor's degree in business management, public relations, or related field.
A senior development manager oversees the daily operations of a company's product development team. They mostly have administrative duties, such as spearheading projects and programs, streamlining project requirements, establishing objectives and timelines, setting budgets and guidelines, delegating responsibilities among teams, and monitoring their progress, coordinating every team's efforts to ensure an effective workflow. Being a senior development manager takes years of experience, which they utilize to lead and guide teams in a joint effort to reach project goals and deliver profitable products.
Development directors and senior development managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Development Director | Senior Development Manager | |
| Average salary | $107,044 | $141,487 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $177,000 | Between $106,000 And $188,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Cornerstone Research | Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld |
| Best paying industry | - | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a development director and a senior development manager in terms of educational background:
| Development Director | Senior Development Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between development directors' and senior development managers' demographics:
| Development Director | Senior Development Manager | |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8% | Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 13.6% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 11% |