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What is a process development director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

Process development directors are responsible for ensuring company processes are as time and cost-efficient as possible, and products reach the highest quality standards. They are the ones who guarantee that procedures align with industry regulations and provide documentation of operations in case of audits.

Working as a process development director, your job will be to assess production methods and find ways to improve them. It will be your job to optimize production costs and product quality while ensuring a continuous and flawless flow of operations.

Selecting and installing the most efficient equipment, coming up with new procedures, and tweaking regulations will all be on your to-do list. It will be on you to properly train your staff to make sure they perform at the top of their game. Documenting production processes and allowing for continuous assessments and improvements of production will be your responsibility, too.

ScoreProcess Development DirectorUS Average
Salary
8.9

Avg. Salary $150,883

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
6.1

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
2.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 4.73%

Black or African American 10.20%

Hispanic or Latino 15.92%

Unknown 5.61%

White 63.02%

Gender

female 28.95%

male 71.05%

Age - 44
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 - 44
Stress level
6.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.2

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Process development director career paths

Key steps to become a process development director

  1. Explore process development director education requirements

    Most common process development director degrees

    Bachelor's

    65.6 %

    Master's

    16.0 %

    Associate

    9.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific process development director skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Project Management9.34%
    Lean Six Sigma8.47%
    Continuous Improvement7.42%
    Process Improvement6.24%
    GMP5.59%
  3. Complete relevant process development director training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New process development 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 process development director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real process development director resumes.
  4. Research process development director duties and responsibilities

    • Manage electronics, software and mechanical engineers responsible for the development of the electromechanical system and disposable treatment catheters.
    • Provide regulatory submissions for FDA, CMC section.
    • Write and maintain unit policies per AORN and AAMI standards.
    • Set up a new QC lab and library of standard products.
  5. Get process development director experience

    Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a process development director. The most common roles before becoming a process development director include manager, operations manager team lead and processing manager.
  6. Prepare your process development director resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your process development 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 process development 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 process development director resume templates

    Build a professional process development 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 process development director resume.
    Process Development Director Resume
    Process Development Director Resume
    Process Development Director Resume
    Process Development Director Resume
    Process Development Director Resume
    Process Development Director Resume
    Process Development Director Resume
    Process Development Director Resume
    Process Development Director Resume
  7. Apply for process development director jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a process development director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first process development director job

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Average process development director salary

The average process development director salary in the United States is $150,883 per year or $73 per hour. Process development director salaries range between $107,000 and $212,000 per year.

Average process development director salary
$150,883 Yearly
$72.54 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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