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Director of operational support vs chief of staff

The differences between directors of operational support and chiefs of staff can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a director of operational support, becoming a chief of staff takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a chief of staff has an average salary of $130,835, which is higher than the $79,809 average annual salary of a director of operational support.

The top three skills for a director of operational support include oversight, project management and support operations. The most important skills for a chief of staff are PET, team support, and project management.

Director of operational support vs chief of staff overview

Director Of Operational SupportChief Of Staff
Yearly salary$79,809$130,835
Hourly rate$38.37$62.90
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs98,718124,272
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4452
Years of experience6-

What does a director of operational support do?

A director of operational support is a management professional who is responsible for managing a team of support staff that ensures the smooth and professional operation of an organization. This director must coordinate the activities of the project team and other stakeholders through the daily management of program tasks. The director is required to assist in formulating and administering company policies that can improve business operations and attain the strategic growth objectives of the organization. This director must also review and analyze financial statements and other performance data to measure the organization's productivity and goal achievement.

What does a chief of staff do?

A chief of staff primarily supports an executive through performing various administrative tasks. Most of their responsibilities revolve around collaborating with other executive support personnel to devise strategies that will help the company, responding to inquiries and correspondence, approving communications letters, managing schedules, setting appointments, and serving as an advisor to the executive. Furthermore, when it comes to issues and disputes, the chief of staff must be quick to conduct research and perform damage control to help the executive and the company rise from the occasion.

Director of operational support vs chief of staff salary

Directors of operational support and chiefs of staff have different pay scales, as shown below.

Director Of Operational SupportChief Of Staff
Average salary$79,809$130,835
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $133,000Between $85,000 And $200,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkCalifornia
Best paying companyAppleLyft
Best paying industryPharmaceuticalStart-up

Differences between director of operational support and chief of staff education

There are a few differences between a director of operational support and a chief of staff in terms of educational background:

Director Of Operational SupportChief Of Staff
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Director of operational support vs chief of staff demographics

Here are the differences between directors of operational support' and chiefs of staff' demographics:

Director Of Operational SupportChief Of Staff
Average age4452
Gender ratioMale, 73.9% Female, 26.1%Male, 62.0% Female, 38.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage10%12%

Differences between director of operational support and chief of staff duties and responsibilities

Director of operational support example responsibilities.

  • Create and manage departmental SharePoint sites, utilizing electronic tools to track productivity and increase efficiency.
  • Provide site/assistant site manager relief for rotation, temporary site manager replacement, and oversight of site personnel.
  • Service level management, agent group and call-routing configuration oversight resulting in achievement of service levels for entire tenure.
  • Coordinate and provide services, locating resources to youth and families necessary to promote recovery, rehabilitation, and resiliency.
  • Establish KPI's and SLA's for departments, as well as key metrics for call center operations.
  • Provide subject matter expertise to the separation PMO contributing critical input into applications and supporting infrastructure during the migration.

Chief of staff example responsibilities.

  • Lead headquarters (HQ) operations staff.
  • Manage the G3's fiscal year budget planning, formulation, and execution.
  • Supervise the G2 administrative section and maintain and manage the G2 budget and material resources.
  • Manage the predeployment training and the deployment process to receiving commands, and subsequent redeployment and deactivation.
  • Manage budgets of $75,000 to $22 million paying keen attention to cost containment and ROI.
  • Credit for managing and improving the HAZMAT program, which serve as a benchmark example for the base community.
  • Show more

Director of operational support vs chief of staff skills

Common director of operational support skills
  • Oversight, 13%
  • Project Management, 11%
  • Support Operations, 10%
  • Process Improvement, 9%
  • KPIs, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%
Common chief of staff skills
  • PET, 15%
  • Team Support, 11%
  • Project Management, 8%
  • Oversight, 7%
  • Direct Reports, 6%
  • Marketing Campaigns, 6%

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