Operations director vs executive director

The differences between operations directors and executive directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an operations director, 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 $104,050 average annual salary of an operations director.

The top three skills for an operations director include customer service, continuous improvement and oversight. The most important skills for an executive director are oversight, patients, and customer service.

Operations director vs executive director overview

	Operations Director	Executive Director
Yearly salary	$104,050	$127,956
Hourly rate	$50.02	$61.52
Growth rate	6%	-8%
Number of jobs	114,993	97,471
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	44	49
Years of experience	6	4

What does an operations director do?

Operations directors oversee all company operations. They have the power to set the direction, change the course of the organization, and reform strategies to ensure efficiency in how the company operates. Operations directors manage business operations effectively by constantly analyzing company data and by anticipating any challenge that may come their way. As such, they make sound business decisions and recommendations that will help strengthen the organization. Operations directors oversee finances, quality control, and even human resources. They ensure that all aspects of the business are considered in making business operations decisions.

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.

Operations director vs executive director salary

Operations directors and executive directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Operations Director	Executive Director
Average salary	$104,050	$127,956
Salary range	Between $65,000 And $164,000	Between $76,000 And $213,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Airbnb	Genentech
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between operations director and executive director education

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

	Operations Director	Executive Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Operations director vs executive director demographics

Here are the differences between operations directors' and executive directors' demographics:

	Operations Director	Executive Director
Average age	44	49
Gender ratio	Male, 70.6% Female, 29.4%	Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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	10%	10%

Differences between operations director and executive director duties and responsibilities

Operations director example responsibilities.

Manage KPI reports from all warranty companies to ensure increasing sales and productivity.
Spearhead governance, security and compliance initiatives to achieve SOX and PCI compliance.
Manage a PMO style team to implement any changes across the global contact centers.
Develop all marketing strategies and materials as well as personally managing key OEM and national accounts.
Manage multiple vendor relationships for RFP development and review, contract negotiation, contract terms management, and accounts payable review.
Provide leadership to manufacturing organization by aligning overall KPIs to achieve near term and long term business objectives.

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.

Operations director vs executive director skills

Common operations director skills

Customer Service, 12%
Continuous Improvement, 7%
Oversight, 7%
Patients, 6%
Project Management, 5%
Human Resources, 4%

Common executive director skills

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

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Operations Director vs Executive Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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