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

What is a division director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

The Division Director's role is quite versatile. Depending on the department, they are placed by those above them. Still, it can generally be said that they all share certain qualities and responsibilities.

The Director must ensure that a department runs as smoothly as possible in all terms; profit, research, budget- and timeline-wise. They must align the department's goals with the flow of the whole company's overall needs. Another part of this position includes cooperating with other leaders and employees on various projects and multiple processes.

As this is a rather vague position, there is really no standard set of requirements. However, it is safe to assume that a person applying for this position will generally need to have at least a Bachelor's degree in a field of study relevant to the company and industry they will be working in and several years of experience. More prominent companies and larger positions may even demand a Master's degree.

ScoreDivision DirectorUS Average

Salary

8.1

Avg. Salary $120,757

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 6.30%

Black or African American 6.11%

Hispanic or Latino 14.95%

Unknown 4.33%

White 67.84%

Gender

female 38.26%

male 61.74%

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 division director

Explore division director education requirements

Most common division director degrees

Bachelor's

67.2 %

Master's

20.0 %

Associate

7.0 %

Start to develop specific division director skills

Skills	Percentages
Client Relationships	17.63%
Business Development	13.15%
Customer Service	9.91%
Healthcare	8.20%
Oversight	5.56%

Complete relevant division director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New division directors 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 division director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real division director resumes.

Gain additional division director certifications

Division director 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 division director certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for division directors include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Manager Certification (CM).

More About Certifications

Research division director duties and responsibilities

Lead preparation of financial briefings for local and HQ.
Lead in-sourcing efforts to ensure a smooth transition between key components, OSD, and AF.
Manage system implementation, accounting, financial analysis, oversight of premium financing programs, and reinsurance acquisition.
Protect valuable banking, insurance and healthcare customer relationships while managing client global communication needs and adhering to regulatory compliance standards.

Get division director experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a division director. The most common roles before becoming a division director include director, general manager team lead and account executive.

Prepare your division director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your division director 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 division director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable division director resume templates

Build a professional division director 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 division director resume.