How To Become A Director/Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a director/manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The primary duty of a director/manager is to develop strategies to optimize the operational efficiency of an organization. This is to help it deliver high-quality services and satisfaction to its customers and business clients. This personnel identifies business opportunities that would support the long-term goals and objectives of the organization. He/She is charged with generating more revenue and closing contract deals. Additionally, he/she handles departmental budgets. Asides from that, he/she allocates adequate resources for operations and project management. Also, he/she oversees staff performance and attends to their concerns.

To succeed in this position, you need leadership, multitasking, conflict management, networking, negotiation, communication, project management, interpersonal, motivation, and time management skills. To get this job, you need a minimum of a bachelor's degree in business, management, or a related field. Director/managers earn an average salary of $109,492 per year or an hourly rate of $52.64. This varies between $76,000 and $156,000.

ScoreDirector/ManagerUS Average

Salary

8.4

Avg. Salary $128,735

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.6

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 6.44%

Black or African American 6.27%

Hispanic or Latino 15.48%

Unknown 4.35%

White 67.00%

Gender

female 44.67%

male 55.33%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a director/manager

Explore director/manager education requirements

Most common director/manager degrees

Bachelor's

61.8 %

Associate

16.0 %

Master's

12.9 %

Start to develop specific director/manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Healthcare	12.29%
Patients	9.90%
Home Health	5.13%
Oversight	5.11%
Rehabilitation	4.92%

Complete relevant director/manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New director/managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a director/manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real director/manager resumes.

Gain additional director/manager certifications

Director/manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific director/manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for director/managers include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Manager Certification (CM).

More About Certifications

Research director/manager duties and responsibilities

Create a coordinate university social media committee quadrupling engagement during campaigns and achieving a national twitter trend during commencement.
Develop and implement an efficient payroll system.
Calculate receptionist bonuses and provide to payroll department.
Implement complex upgrades and additional functionality to software applications supporting medical case management and Medicaid insurance claims submissions.

Prepare your director/manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your director/manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a director/manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable director/manager resume templates

Build a professional director/manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your director/manager resume.