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The differences between planning directors and product directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a planning director and a product director. Additionally, a product director has an average salary of $148,910, which is higher than the $131,978 average annual salary of a planning director.
The top three skills for a planning director include project management, financial analysis and business planning. The most important skills for a product director are product management, product strategy, and project management.
| Planning Director | Product Director | |
| Yearly salary | $131,978 | $148,910 |
| Hourly rate | $63.45 | $71.59 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 51,861 | 125,200 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
Planning Directors are members of the executive team or the top management of a company. They oversee the company's plans and the strategies involved in reaching company goals. They manage the resources of the company by reviewing the budget and by overseeing human resources activities. They ensure that the company works toward its goals and that the company follows through with its plans. That being said, Planning Directors do not necessarily police the company's actions, especially if it deviates from the original plans. Instead, they steer the company towards the fulfillment of such plans. If the plan is no longer viable, they should be flexible enough to pursue new plans to achieve their goals still.
The duties of a product director depend on one's place or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing the product development operations to ensure smooth flow and efficiency, devise strategies to improve processes, gather relevant data such as sales and customer feedback, and coordinate with different departments in developing new products and services. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage departments to meet goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations, including its mission and vision.
Planning directors and product directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Planning Director | Product Director | |
| Average salary | $131,978 | $148,910 |
| Salary range | Between $90,000 And $192,000 | Between $104,000 And $212,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Exelixis | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Internet |
There are a few differences between a planning director and a product director in terms of educational background:
| Planning Director | Product Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between planning directors' and product directors' demographics:
| Planning Director | Product Director | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3% | Male, 72.4% Female, 27.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |