Process development director vs associate director

The differences between process development directors and associate directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a process development director has an average salary of $150,883, which is higher than the $114,223 average annual salary of an associate director.

The top three skills for a process development director include project management, lean six sigma and continuous improvement. The most important skills for an associate director are patients, healthcare, and project management.

Process development director vs associate director overview

	Process Development Director	Associate Director
Yearly salary	$150,883	$114,223
Hourly rate	$72.54	$54.91
Growth rate	7%	8%
Number of jobs	74,230	72,370
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	45	47
Years of experience	4	-

What does a process development director do?

The process development director is someone who creates and develops new manufacturing processes for the workplace. The goal of the process development director is to look into different methods of producing goods and services for the company. The aim is to be as efficient as possible and to avoid excess spending on inefficient practices. The process development director also works with management to assess current manufacturing processes and determine whether upgrades are necessary.

What does an associate director do?

An associate director oversees the daily activities and business operations within a particular area. They are primarily responsible for devising strategies that aim for growth in profit and customer satisfaction, implementing policies and standards, evaluate the workforce, providing support to various departments, and setting goals in terms of budget and sales. Furthermore, they must regularly report progress to the director and coordinate with managers and supervisors in the joint effort to reach the vision and mission of the company.

Process development director vs associate director salary

Process development directors and associate directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Process Development Director	Associate Director
Average salary	$150,883	$114,223
Salary range	Between $107,000 And $212,000	Between $79,000 And $164,000
Highest paying City	Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ	South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Vermont	New Jersey
Best paying company	Appalachian Regional Healthcare	Legalmatch.com
Best paying industry	Professional	Pharmaceutical

Differences between process development director and associate director education

There are a few differences between a process development director and an associate director in terms of educational background:

	Process Development Director	Associate Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Process development director vs associate director demographics

Here are the differences between process development directors' and associate directors' demographics:

	Process Development Director	Associate Director
Average age	45	47
Gender ratio	Male, 71.1% Female, 28.9%	Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 4.7% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	18%	10%

Differences between process development director and associate director duties and responsibilities

Process development director example 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.
Develop and conduct team building exercises to improve relations between the SPD departments and nursing.
Develop process flow charts and trending database to analyze the efficiency of operations and streamline SPD departmental processes.

Associate director example responsibilities.

Lead implementation of OPPE and FPPE for TJC.
Manage accounting, weekly reports, local contacts, and maintenance of sets, props, and costumes.
Manage all aspects of music ministry - including arranging all music for schedule services special programs and events.
Manage departmental training schedules, work schedules and CPSI electronic medical record (EMR), certifications and competencies.
Manage web development and rebranding initiative.
Create a coordinate university social media committee quadrupling engagement during campaigns and achieving a national twitter trend during commencement.

Process development director vs associate director skills

Common process development director skills

Project Management, 9%
Lean Six Sigma, 8%
Continuous Improvement, 7%
Process Improvement, 6%
GMP, 6%
Sigma, 4%

Common associate director skills

Patients, 11%
Healthcare, 8%
Project Management, 6%
Oversight, 6%
Portfolio, 6%
Excellent Interpersonal, 5%

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Process Development Director
Process Development Director vs Associate Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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