Process development director vs process improvement manager

The differences between process development directors and process improvement managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a process development director, becoming a process improvement manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a process development director has an average salary of $150,883, which is higher than the $105,454 average annual salary of a process improvement manager.

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

Process development director vs process improvement manager overview

	Process Development Director	Process Improvement Manager
Yearly salary	$150,883	$105,454
Hourly rate	$72.54	$50.70
Growth rate	7%	6%
Number of jobs	74,230	177,168
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	45	44
Years of experience	4	6

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 a process improvement manager do?

Process Improvement Managers oversee the operational processes of the company. These processes are usually related to production, sales, marketing, human resources, or finance. Process Improvement Managers are in charge of creating policies and procedures to guide the company's different departments. They analyze related data and craft recommendations to improve the procedures. They ensure that their recommendations lead to higher efficiency. Process Improvement Managers also ensure that these new processes are implemented properly and yield results.

Process development director vs process improvement manager salary

Process development directors and process improvement managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Process Development Director	Process Improvement Manager
Average salary	$150,883	$105,454
Salary range	Between $107,000 And $212,000	Between $80,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Vermont	New York
Best paying company	Appalachian Regional Healthcare	Meta
Best paying industry	Professional	Technology

Differences between process development director and process improvement manager education

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

	Process Development Director	Process Improvement Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Process development director vs process improvement manager demographics

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

	Process Development Director	Process Improvement Manager
Average age	45	44
Gender ratio	Male, 71.1% Female, 28.9%	Male, 69.0% Female, 31.0%
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, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	18%	10%

Differences between process development director and process improvement manager 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.

Process improvement manager example responsibilities.

Manage enterprise applications such as ERP, CRM and commissions calculating software.
Manage projects and require personnel utilizing PMI tools and best practices from project initiation to close down.
Lead department through SharePoint implementation.
Focus are process, resource management and governance improvement opportunities to achieve breakthrough performance.
Lead successful, on-time, and on budget implementation of antiquate plant systems infrastructure and manufacturing enterprise applications.
Coordinate product re-launch project to execute Kanban program achieving target inventory level requirements improving lead time reduction from 12wks to 2wks.

Process development director vs process improvement manager skills

Common process development director skills

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

Common process improvement manager skills

Sigma, 15%
Lean Six Sigma, 13%
Project Management, 10%
Process Improvement, 8%
Kaizen, 3%
Value Stream, 3%

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Process Development Director
Process Development Director vs Process Improvement Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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