Managing director vs senior director

The differences between managing directors and senior 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 senior director takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a senior director has an average salary of $152,047, which is higher than the $129,690 average annual salary of a managing director.

The top three skills for a managing director include healthcare, portfolio and business development. The most important skills for a senior director are healthcare, analytics, and patients.

Managing director vs senior director overview

	Managing Director	Senior Director
Yearly salary	$129,690	$152,047
Hourly rate	$62.35	$73.10
Growth rate	6%	10%
Number of jobs	81,022	131,871
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	44	39
Years of experience	6	10

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 senior director do?

Senior directors are the top management who manage the overall corporate structure of a brand. These executives take responsibility for the planning, operations, and profitability of the company. They direct and control all the functions of businesses. Their jobs cover the advertising, marketing, sales, and promotions of products and services. They are the people behind the tactical and strategic management of every asset of the enterprise through different programs.

Managing director vs senior director salary

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

	Managing Director	Senior Director
Average salary	$129,690	$152,047
Salary range	Between $72,000 And $233,000	Between $105,000 And $219,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison	Apple
Best paying industry	Finance	Pharmaceutical

Differences between managing director and senior director education

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

	Managing Director	Senior Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Georgia

Managing director vs senior director demographics

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

	Managing Director	Senior Director
Average age	44	39
Gender ratio	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%	Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4%
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, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between managing director and senior 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.

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Senior director example responsibilities.

Lead the expansion for support of public sector business in EMEA and APAC.
Create and deliver pitch decks, while being task with managing RFP responses.
Organize scrum certification training, lead departmental reorganization around scrum teams and act as scrum coach.
Lead assessment, design, and implementation of operational governance capabilities for the EMEA & ASIA regions.
Manage ongoing ITIL certification program for UK operations as required by government regulation.
Help project managers understand financial responsibilities and lead them in increase product delivery and ROI.

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Managing director vs senior director skills

Common managing director skills

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

Common senior director skills

Healthcare, 6%
Analytics, 6%
Patients, 6%
Portfolio, 5%
Oversight, 5%
Project Management, 5%

Managing Director vs. similar jobs

Managing Director related careers

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Managing Director jobs by location

Updated January 8, 2025

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