Director of continuous improvement vs manager

The differences between directors of continuous improvement and managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a director of continuous improvement and a manager. Additionally, a director of continuous improvement has an average salary of $122,606, which is higher than the $58,651 average annual salary of a manager.

The top three skills for a director of continuous improvement include lean six sigma, healthcare and project management. The most important skills for a manager are customer service, payroll, and food safety.

Director of continuous improvement vs manager overview

	Director Of Continuous Improvement	Manager
Yearly salary	$122,606	$58,651
Hourly rate	$58.95	$28.20
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	16,718	1,236,194
Job satisfaction	-	4.57
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

What does a director of continuous improvement do?

A director of continuous improvement measures and tests corporate procedures to improve production efficiency. Directors of continuous improvement are responsible for the development, planning, scheduling, and budgeting projects to enhance the existing processes. It is part of their job to direct and oversee the department staff's work. They are experienced and highly analytical in terms of project coordination. They foresee hindrances and develop strategic decisions through problem-solving skills. Also, they are considered great mentors with the ability to understand complicated ideas.

What does a manager do?

Managers are responsible for a specific department, function, or employee group. They oversee their assigned departments and all the employees under the department. Managers are responsible that the department they are handling is functioning well. They set the department goals and the steps they must take to achieve the goals. They are also in charge of assessing the performance of their departments and their employees. Additionally, managers are responsible for interviewing prospective candidates for department vacancies and assessing their fit to the needs of the department. Managers also set the general working environment in the department, and they are expected to ensure that their employees remain motivated.

Director of continuous improvement vs manager salary

Directors of continuous improvement and managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Continuous Improvement	Manager
Average salary	$122,606	$58,651
Salary range	Between $85,000 And $175,000	Between $37,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	Bakersfield, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Walmart	-
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between director of continuous improvement and manager education

There are a few differences between a director of continuous improvement and a manager in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Continuous Improvement	Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Director of continuous improvement vs manager demographics

Here are the differences between directors of continuous improvement' and managers' demographics:

	Director Of Continuous Improvement	Manager
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 67.5% Female, 32.5%	Male, 51.0% Female, 49.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between director of continuous improvement and manager duties and responsibilities

Director of continuous improvement example responsibilities.

Manage a staff of 30+ network, server, and NOC engineers
Lead the implementation of new ERP systems at both the strategy and detail levels.
Identify regulatory risk for Mexico technology requirements and lead in-flight RFP for new provider to meet government digital certification requirements.
Implement ISO throughout the organization as appropriate.
Develop key performance indicators (KPIs) require for meeting corporate objectives.
Create and maintains various KPIs for the plasma and material handling departments.

Manager example responsibilities.

Manage both BOH and FOH operations exceeding company specifications.
Manage logistics and security for high net worth individuals and corporations.
Manage budgets and payroll records, review financial transactions to assure expenditures are authorize and budget.
Guide and manage the administrative day-to-day academic program and the implementation of strategies by providing leadership to faculty and staff.
Provide leadership and direction to facility management and program owners while motivating and interacting with employees to achieve continuous improvement.
Customer-Orient with experience with POS systems, food preparation and safety regulations.

Director of continuous improvement vs manager skills

Common director of continuous improvement skills

Lean Six Sigma, 8%
Healthcare, 7%
Project Management, 6%
Six Sigma Training, 6%
Lean Sigma, 6%
Performance Improvement, 5%

Common manager skills

Customer Service, 19%
Payroll, 9%
Food Safety, 8%
Financial Statements, 4%
Management, 4%
PowerPoint, 4%

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Director Of Continuous Improvement
Director Of Continuous Improvement vs Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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