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The differences between directors of human resources and senior human resources specialists 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 human resources and a senior human resources specialist. Additionally, a director of human resources has an average salary of $100,601, which is higher than the $63,956 average annual salary of a senior human resources specialist.
The top three skills for a director of human resources include performance management, HRIS and employee engagement. The most important skills for a senior human resources specialist are payroll, customer service, and HRIS.
| Director Of Human Resources | Senior Human Resources Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $100,601 | $63,956 |
| Hourly rate | $48.37 | $30.75 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 46,924 | 46,316 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A human resources director is responsible for managing the overall operations of the human resources department, ensuring smooth operations while meeting the company's goals of successful profitability and services. Human resources directors' duties include providing staff consultation, addressing staffing concerns, managing compensation and benefits plans, reviewing plans for training and development programs, and reporting future actions to the management. A human resources director must have excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills to help lead the business to its growth and development.
A senior human resources specialist is responsible for monitoring the human resources operations of an organization, managing employment processes and policies, and handling staffing needs and concerns. Senior human resources specialists design training and programs to maintain staff's efficiency and maximize the employees' productivity to support business functional operations. They also coordinate with management leaders to identify their hiring needs, evaluating their specifications for recruitment. A senior human resources specialist reviews the company's policies and guidelines regularly, adjusting procedures according to state regulations and business requirements.
Directors of human resources and senior human resources specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Director Of Human Resources | Senior Human Resources Specialist | |
| Average salary | $100,601 | $63,956 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $147,000 | Between $45,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Edwards Lifesciences |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a director of human resources and a senior human resources specialist in terms of educational background:
| Director Of Human Resources | Senior Human Resources Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between directors of human resources' and senior human resources specialists' demographics:
| Director Of Human Resources | Senior Human Resources Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.0% Female, 65.0% | Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 7.7% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 18% | 9% |