Executive director vs general manager

The differences between executive directors and general managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an executive director, becoming a general manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an executive director has an average salary of $127,956, which is higher than the $71,581 average annual salary of a general manager.

The top three skills for an executive director include oversight, patients and customer service. The most important skills for a general manager are customer service, cleanliness, and food safety.

Executive director vs general manager overview

	Executive Director	General Manager
Yearly salary	$127,956	$71,581
Hourly rate	$61.52	$34.41
Growth rate	-8%	6%
Number of jobs	97,471	442,690
Job satisfaction	4.5	4.25
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	49	44
Years of experience	4	6

What does an executive director do?

Executive directors are top management employees who usually function as a chief executive officer. This role is usually seen in non-profit organizations. Executive directors provide strategic direction to the organization, and they ensure that the organization's goals are actualized. They provide guidance to the employees and ensure that the employees have the organization's advocacies at the center of every project or program. They oversee the policies of the organization and create strategies that will bring the organization's programs forward. Executive directors are also responsible for making crucial decisions for the betterment of the organization.

What does a general manager do?

A general manager is responsible for handling the overall operations in the business. General managers manage the staff tasks efficiently, monitor the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, implement new strategies to improve the business performance, recognize the team's best efforts, and effective allocation of budget resources. A general manager must have excellent communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills to identify areas of improvement in handling customer complaints, connecting with vendors and other lines of businesses that will direct the company towards its successful objectives.

Executive director vs general manager salary

Executive directors and general managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Executive Director	General Manager
Average salary	$127,956	$71,581
Salary range	Between $76,000 And $213,000	Between $40,000 And $126,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	Hawaii
Best paying company	Genentech	NVIDIA
Best paying industry	Finance	Manufacturing

Differences between executive director and general manager education

There are a few differences between an executive director and a general manager in terms of educational background:

	Executive Director	General Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Executive director vs general manager demographics

Here are the differences between executive directors' and general managers' demographics:

	Executive Director	General Manager
Average age	49	44
Gender ratio	Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0%	Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between executive director and general manager duties and responsibilities

Executive director example responsibilities.

Manage 10 department heads who supervise a staff of 350 FTE's.
Develop and manage sales teams to assure the highest ROI on the client's investment.
Create and manage a call center for lead programs to support the prospecting activity needs of the FSR.
Freelance blogging to increase website views and ultimately to turn organic content into leads and ROI for small businesses.
Market and manage group and individual insurance programs including health, life, disability, long term care and annuities.
Major accomplishment are to achieve initial NAEYC accreditation.

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General manager example responsibilities.

Generate positive EBITDA and improve cash flow by managing costs and inventory.
Manage all recruiting and training efforts, and develop systems to track ROI comparison results.
Work as a FOH AGM and train to manage all staff functions including training, hiring, food and labor controls.
Develop yearly budget for multiple hotels that include revenue, labor, fix and variable costs to achieve overall EBITDA goal.
Task primarily with building logistics infrastructure, managing operational expenses, and supporting start up strategies.
Train and manage FOH staff and improve overall quality, organization and professionalism of restaurant and bakery.

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Executive director vs general manager skills

Common executive director skills

Oversight, 10%
Patients, 9%
Customer Service, 5%
Financial Management, 5%
Business Development, 4%
Home Health, 4%

Common general manager skills

Customer Service, 20%
Cleanliness, 18%
Food Safety, 7%
Guest Service, 4%
Payroll, 4%
Math, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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