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Manager vs director

The differences between managers and directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a manager and a director. Additionally, a director has an average salary of $113,489, which is higher than the $58,651 average annual salary of a manager.

The top three skills for a manager include customer service, payroll and food safety. The most important skills for a director are healthcare, customer service, and oversight.

Manager vs director overview

ManagerDirector
Yearly salary$58,651$113,489
Hourly rate$28.20$54.56
Growth rate6%8%
Number of jobs1,236,194230,711
Job satisfaction4.575
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4440
Years of experience66

What does a manager do?

Managers are responsible for a specific department, function, or employee group. They oversee their assigned departments and all the employees under the department. Managers are responsible that the department they are handling is functioning well. They set the department goals and the steps they must take to achieve the goals. They are also in charge of assessing the performance of their departments and their employees. Additionally, managers are responsible for interviewing prospective candidates for department vacancies and assessing their fit to the needs of the department. Managers also set the general working environment in the department, and they are expected to ensure that their employees remain motivated.

What does a director do?

Directors work in show business, whether in a film, a television show, or a theatre production. They are responsible for bringing the material to life. They work with the writers to get a clear vision of how the production should look. They lead the production team in planning for the production, identifying filming or rehearsing schedules, casting for roles, and other aspects that need to be decided upon. Directors provide direction to the actors to ensure that the actors understand their role and will be able to effectively convey emotions to the audience. They also manage all other crew members and communicate their expectations clearly so that everyone on the set is working towards one vision.

Manager vs director salary

Managers and directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

ManagerDirector
Average salary$58,651$113,489
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $92,000Between $66,000 And $192,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying stateNew JerseyNew York
Best paying company-Mayo Clinic
Best paying industryFinanceFinance

Differences between manager and director education

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

ManagerDirector
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaStanford University

Manager vs director demographics

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

ManagerDirector
Average age4440
Gender ratioMale, 51.0% Female, 49.0%Male, 53.2% Female, 46.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage10%14%

Differences between manager and director duties and responsibilities

Manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage both BOH and FOH operations exceeding company specifications.
  • Manage logistics and security for high net worth individuals and corporations.
  • Manage budgets and payroll records, review financial transactions to assure expenditures are authorize and budget.
  • Guide and manage the administrative day-to-day academic program and the implementation of strategies by providing leadership to faculty and staff.
  • Provide leadership and direction to facility management and program owners while motivating and interacting with employees to achieve continuous improvement.
  • Customer-Orient with experience with POS systems, food preparation and safety regulations.
  • Show more

Director example responsibilities.

  • Manage water metering programs for NYC and national portfolio.
  • Collaborate with the CPA to manage financials and reporting / distribution to physicians.
  • Manage OEM manufacturing partners for making bulk solutions, product fills and final packaging.
  • Lead company's first deep-fill structural project, bring company into EPA compliance, establish effective QA-QC program.
  • Develop company website entirely as well as wrote and manage the SEO and upkeep for overall site maintenance.
  • Manage the company's hotel portfolio operations and assets, including renovation, new build, conversions, and rebranding.
  • Show more

Manager vs director skills

Common manager skills
  • Customer Service, 19%
  • Payroll, 9%
  • Food Safety, 8%
  • Financial Statements, 4%
  • Management, 4%
  • PowerPoint, 4%
Common director skills
  • Healthcare, 10%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Oversight, 7%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Human Resources, 4%
  • Business Development, 4%

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