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Principal architect vs director

The differences between principal architects and directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a principal architect has an average salary of $133,276, which is higher than the $113,489 average annual salary of a director.

The top three skills for a principal architect include cloud, infrastructure and emerging technologies. The most important skills for a director are healthcare, customer service, and oversight.

Principal architect vs director overview

Principal ArchitectDirector
Yearly salary$133,276$113,489
Hourly rate$64.08$54.56
Growth rate3%8%
Number of jobs118,908230,711
Job satisfaction45
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4440
Years of experience-6

What does a principal architect do?

Principal Architects manage all design work at an architecture firm. They ensure that all work is of high professional quality and manage the activity of other design professionals.

What does a director do?

Directors work in show business, whether in a film, a television show, or a theatre production. They are responsible for bringing the material to life. They work with the writers to get a clear vision of how the production should look. They lead the production team in planning for the production, identifying filming or rehearsing schedules, casting for roles, and other aspects that need to be decided upon. Directors provide direction to the actors to ensure that the actors understand their role and will be able to effectively convey emotions to the audience. They also manage all other crew members and communicate their expectations clearly so that everyone on the set is working towards one vision.

Principal architect vs director salary

Principal architects and directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Principal ArchitectDirector
Average salary$133,276$113,489
Salary rangeBetween $97,000 And $181,000Between $66,000 And $192,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew York
Best paying companyGoogleMayo Clinic
Best paying industryTechnologyFinance

Differences between principal architect and director education

There are a few differences between a principal architect and a director in terms of educational background:

Principal ArchitectDirector
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorArchitectureBusiness
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyStanford University

Principal architect vs director demographics

Here are the differences between principal architects' and directors' demographics:

Principal ArchitectDirector
Average age4440
Gender ratioMale, 89.3% Female, 10.7%Male, 53.2% Female, 46.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%14%

Differences between principal architect and director duties and responsibilities

Principal architect example responsibilities.

  • Manage and review Hadoop log files.
  • Manage integrated ERP projects for manufacturing plants
  • Design and implement a Java base reverse proxy that manage application routes.
  • Lead architecture development for a CRM web collaboration product and a CRM multi-media/multi-channel integration product.
  • Manage offshore engineering team, overcoming challenges including technical, resource planning & motivation, communication, and infrastructure.
  • Design and develop the rich desktop web client using ExtJS, a JavaScript framework with an extensive library of UI components.
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Director example responsibilities.

  • Manage water metering programs for NYC and national portfolio.
  • Collaborate with the CPA to manage financials and reporting / distribution to physicians.
  • Manage OEM manufacturing partners for making bulk solutions, product fills and final packaging.
  • Lead company's first deep-fill structural project, bring company into EPA compliance, establish effective QA-QC program.
  • Develop company website entirely as well as wrote and manage the SEO and upkeep for overall site maintenance.
  • Manage the company's hotel portfolio operations and assets, including renovation, new build, conversions, and rebranding.
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Principal architect vs director skills

Common principal architect skills
  • Cloud, 8%
  • Infrastructure, 7%
  • Emerging Technologies, 6%
  • Java, 5%
  • AWS, 5%
  • Python, 4%
Common director skills
  • Healthcare, 10%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Oversight, 7%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Human Resources, 4%
  • Business Development, 4%

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