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The differences between development officers and development specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a development officer and a development specialist. Additionally, a development officer has an average salary of $78,541, which is higher than the $60,344 average annual salary of a development specialist.
The top three skills for a development officer include stewardship, alumni and customer service. The most important skills for a development specialist are customer service, customer satisfaction, and professional development.
| Development Officer | Development Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $78,541 | $60,344 |
| Hourly rate | $37.76 | $29.01 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 105,553 | 97,188 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Development Officers are responsible for managing the learning and development of an organization's workforce. Their duties include identifying development needs through job analysis and cross-team consultation, implementing training programs, producing training materials, and monitoring trainees' progress through questionnaires and appraisal schemes. They are also involved in conducting cost-budgeting for programs and organizing support sessions with trainers and managers to address issues. A Development Officer attends meetings, reads journals, and researches new workplace learning methodologies to access the most current solutions.
A development specialist is responsible for monitoring career training and programs for the employees, improving their capabilities and maximum potential to contribute to the company's growth and success. Development specialists also assist in assessing departmental operations, evaluating training needs, and facilitate skill development discussions and exercises. A development specialist helps identify business opportunities to generate more revenues for the organization and improve profitability status. A development specialist must have excellent communication and organization skills and comprehensive knowledge of human management to assist employees with their inquiries and concerns.
Development officers and development specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Development Officer | Development Specialist | |
| Average salary | $78,541 | $60,344 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $122,000 | Between $37,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | Edison, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Mayo Clinic | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a development officer and a development specialist in terms of educational background:
| Development Officer | Development Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between development officers' and development specialists' demographics:
| Development Officer | Development Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.0% Female, 54.0% | Male, 40.5% Female, 59.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 5.8% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |