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The differences between foreign service officers and executive directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a foreign service officer, becoming an executive director takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an executive director has an average salary of $127,956, which is higher than the $87,433 average annual salary of a foreign service officer.
The top three skills for a foreign service officer include USG, international organizations and technical assistance. The most important skills for an executive director are oversight, patients, and customer service.
| Foreign Service Officer | Executive Director | |
| Yearly salary | $87,433 | $127,956 |
| Hourly rate | $42.04 | $61.52 |
| Growth rate | 6% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 57,644 | 97,471 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 52 | 49 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
Foreign service officers aim to promote peace, support prosperity, and safeguard citizens whilst promoting their country's interest abroad. Your responsibilities in this role will include defending your nation's foreign policy in political conversations and helping citizens who are traveling overseas get their visas. You may also assist with international adoption issues and handle matters involving citizens' birth and death abroad. You may have to deal with NGOs, human rights activists, journalists, etc. To be a successful foreign service officer, you need to develop skills in leadership, negotiation, and innovation.
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.
Foreign service officers and executive directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Foreign Service Officer | Executive Director | |
| Average salary | $87,433 | $127,956 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $137,000 | Between $76,000 And $213,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Genentech |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a foreign service officer and an executive director in terms of educational background:
| Foreign Service Officer | Executive Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Political Science | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between foreign service officers' and executive directors' demographics:
| Foreign Service Officer | Executive Director | |
| Average age | 52 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.3% Female, 30.7% | Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 10% |