Managing director vs national director

The differences between managing directors and national directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a managing director, becoming a national director takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a managing director has an average salary of $129,690, which is higher than the $117,787 average annual salary of a national director.

The top three skills for a managing director include healthcare, portfolio and business development. The most important skills for a national director are project management, customer service, and healthcare.

Managing director vs national director overview

	Managing Director	National Director
Yearly salary	$129,690	$117,787
Hourly rate	$62.35	$56.63
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	81,022	53,071
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	44	46
Years of experience	6	8

What does a managing director do?

A Managing Director oversees workflow and progress, making sure that all operations align within the company or organization's mission or set of goals. They are responsible for crafting strategies, devising effective business plans, and executing guidelines that would nurture a company's growth, and as well as to be the driving force that would direct employees to the company's objectives. Furthermore, a Managing Director must coordinate with those in a higher position, such as the members of the board.

What does a national director do?

A national director is responsible for designing, developing, and implementing strategic plans for an organization. As the national director, you are expected to oversee the organization's day-to-day operations that include developing business plans and managing departments and staff. Other duties that you perform include evaluating the performance of employees, cultivating good relationships with other decision-makers and leaders, and implementing new strategies to increase profitability. As the national director, you are also responsible for directing and overseeing business development initiatives across the region.

Managing director vs national director salary

Managing directors and national directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Managing Director	National Director
Average salary	$129,690	$117,787
Salary range	Between $72,000 And $233,000	Between $68,000 And $202,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	New York	Vermont
Best paying company	Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison	Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith
Best paying industry	Finance	Manufacturing

Differences between managing director and national director education

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

	Managing Director	National Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Southern California

Managing director vs national director demographics

Here are the differences between managing directors' and national directors' demographics:

	Managing Director	National Director
Average age	44	46
Gender ratio	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	10%	7%

Differences between managing director and national director duties and responsibilities

Managing director example responsibilities.

Create and manage the social media presence via a festival page on Facebook.
Manage all consulting resources and have overall P/L responsibilities for the Atlanta office.
Manage the lessee and lessor relationships regarding exchange seat leases with major markets, such as NYSE, AMEX, CBOE.
Manage denials and expedite managed care appeals (reimbursement reconsideration).
Manage payroll processing for thousands of industrial temporary workers and bill respective clients.
Manage the Ketera SaaS relationship for IBM with engagement development and profitability responsibilities.

National director example responsibilities.

Lead and coordinate RFP process for large national accounts.
Garner B2C and B2B leads via trade and consumer shows; identify prospects for sales cultivation.
Lead primary and secondary research teams on industry strategy and advise executive leadership council.
Establish and manage the mid-Atlantic regional office of a privately own legal education company that provide educational services to law students.
Spearhead business-to-business sales and marketing development and execution with chief oversight of corporate revenue growth within a northeast region.
Structure and develop IDN /Corporate accounts programs.

Managing director vs national director skills

Common managing director skills

Healthcare, 7%
Portfolio, 7%
Business Development, 6%
Oversight, 6%
Project Management, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

Common national director skills

Project Management, 16%
Customer Service, 10%
Healthcare, 9%
Oversight, 7%
Veterans, 4%
Patients, 4%

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Managing Director
Managing Director vs National Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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