Director of social services vs residential manager

The differences between directors of social services and residential 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 social services and a residential manager. Additionally, a director of social services has an average salary of $56,932, which is higher than the $39,112 average annual salary of a residential manager.

The top three skills for a director of social services include social work, patients and discharge planning. The most important skills for a residential manager are developmental disabilities, oversight, and incident reports.

Director of social services vs residential manager overview

	Director Of Social Services	Residential Manager
Yearly salary	$56,932	$39,112
Hourly rate	$27.37	$18.80
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	86,154	11,464
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	6	6

What does a director of social services do?

A director of social services or social services director is an individual who works with the community to identify the suitable programs and services. Social services directors provide overall leadership for certain departments within organizations. Essentially, they take charge of the daily activities of a program or an organization. They perform as social services board secretary and executive officer. In nursing homes, the directors assess patients, develop care plans, and help patients adjust along with their respective families.

What does a residential manager do?

A residential manager coordinates and oversees all activities that happen in a residential building. They work with their employers to market their apartments and ensure all the occupants qualify to be in the building. They are often the face of the building and also manage the financials of the residential building. Their duties and responsibilities include marketing the building, encouraging tenants, and keeping financial records of all property operations.

Director of social services vs residential manager salary

Directors of social services and residential managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Social Services	Residential Manager
Average salary	$56,932	$39,112
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $80,000	Between $29,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	Malden, MA	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Icma-rc	The Kennedy Center Inc.
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between director of social services and residential manager education

There are a few differences between a director of social services and a residential manager in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Social Services	Residential Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Social Work	Psychology
Most common college	University of Washington	University of Pennsylvania

Director of social services vs residential manager demographics

Here are the differences between directors of social services' and residential managers' demographics:

	Director Of Social Services	Residential Manager
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 15.7% Female, 84.3%	Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 5.2% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	14%	14%

Differences between director of social services and residential manager duties and responsibilities

Director of social services example responsibilities.

Transform CRM system from measuring activities to managing business pipeline.
Facilitate weekly or bi-weekly care meeting between patients, family members and staff to discuss physical progress and recommendations post rehabilitation.
Provide educations for families and resident on available community assistance, hospice services, insurance benefits, Medicare and Medicaid education.
Maintain WordPress articles using SEO, article tags, and categories.
Conduct patient family, and staff interviews and ensure relevant MDS sections are complete.
Train in first aid and CPR to help event goers until medical personnel arrive.

Residential manager example responsibilities.

Participate in all IHP/IPP meetings; ensure group home staff helps residents achieve IHP goals and continually monitor progress make.
Manage daily operation of residential group home and over see staff, client programming, activities, and residential ADL's.
Manage a residential facility for adolescents with severe autism and psychiatric conditions.
Facilitate weekly/biweekly meetings with house coordinators, community agencies to provide services.
Help integrate the behavior modification milieu with DBT.
Develop and implement learning programs for residents with autism, schizophrenia, and other mental disabilities.

Director of social services vs residential manager skills

Common director of social services skills

Social Work, 21%
Patients, 10%
Discharge Planning, 7%
Mental Health, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%
Community Resources, 3%

Common residential manager skills

Developmental Disabilities, 12%
Oversight, 7%
Incident Reports, 5%
Foster Care, 5%
Autism, 5%
Adaptive, 4%

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Director Of Social Services
Director Of Social Services vs Residential Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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