How To Become A Planning Director: What It Is and Career Path

What is a planning director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Planning directors are responsible for building existing client relationships and generating new businesses. They implement all strategies for various projects per client requirements and plan appropriate strategies in coordination with the planning team. They also coordinate with various teams to prepare all functional project teams' proposals, earning an average sum of $142,000 annually or $68 per hour.

Planning directors oversee the recruitment, employment, evaluation, and release of staff personnel. They develop organization-wide or department-wide goals, objectives, policies, and procedures. Part of their duties also includes recommending an appropriate solution for all clients to facilitate the increase in businesses, analyze all research results, and provide assistance to position brands efficiently.

Planning directors typically hold a master's degree in urban planning, public administration, or other similar fields. They are required to have some years of progressively responsible planning experience. Some employers also prefer to hire candidates with certifications and a track record of leading a planning team.

ScorePlanning DirectorUS Average

Salary

8.4

Avg. Salary $131,978

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 8.15%

Black or African American 3.04%

Hispanic or Latino 8.67%

Unknown 5.32%

White 74.58%

Gender

female 33.26%

male 66.74%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a planning director

Explore planning director education requirements

Most common planning director degrees

Bachelor's

68.7 %

Master's

22.0 %

Associate

5.2 %

Start to develop specific planning director skills

Skills	Percentages
Project Management	13.54%
Financial Analysis	6.58%
Business Planning	5.96%
Data Analysis	5.18%
Customer Service	4.75%

Complete relevant planning director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New planning directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a planning director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real planning director resumes.

Research planning director duties and responsibilities

Manage customized portfolio, define product strategy, POS and shipping forecast, and promotional plans.
Develop and lead marketing program to promote HMO enrollment and hospital product line services to 55k beneficiaries.
Champion and lead the selection and implementation of Hyperion Essbase business intelligence software.
Lead central team summarizing and prioritizing all DOD opportunities, enabling more efficient and effective resource allocation across several program departments.

Get planning director experience

Generally, it takes 8-10 years to become a planning director. The most common roles before becoming a planning director include planning manager, planner team lead and manager.

Prepare your planning director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your planning director resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a planning director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable planning director resume templates

Build a professional planning director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your planning director resume.