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The differences between professional development directors and senior development 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 professional development director, becoming a senior development manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a senior development manager has an average salary of $141,487, which is higher than the $100,545 average annual salary of a professional development director.
The top three skills for a professional development director include professional development, oversight and adult learning. The most important skills for a senior development manager are java, software development, and cloud.
| Professional Development Director | Senior Development Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $100,545 | $141,487 |
| Hourly rate | $48.34 | $68.02 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 103,723 | 148,732 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 45 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 8 |
A professional development director spearheads and develops training services and professional development programs to enhance the skills and abilities of employees in a company, paving the way for career growth. They have the responsibility to set goals and objectives, establish guidelines and timelines, coordinate teams and managers, liaise with external agencies, and oversee procedures from planning to execution. Moreover, as a professional development director, it is essential to lead staff while implementing policies and regulations, developing new ones as needed.
A senior development manager oversees the daily operations of a company's product development team. They mostly have administrative duties, such as spearheading projects and programs, streamlining project requirements, establishing objectives and timelines, setting budgets and guidelines, delegating responsibilities among teams, and monitoring their progress, coordinating every team's efforts to ensure an effective workflow. Being a senior development manager takes years of experience, which they utilize to lead and guide teams in a joint effort to reach project goals and deliver profitable products.
Professional development directors and senior development managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Development Director | Senior Development Manager | |
| Average salary | $100,545 | $141,487 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $216,000 | Between $106,000 And $188,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | Baker McKenzie | Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld |
| Best paying industry | - | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a professional development director and a senior development manager in terms of educational background:
| Professional Development Director | Senior Development Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between professional development directors' and senior development managers' demographics:
| Professional Development Director | Senior Development Manager | |
| Average age | 45 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.2% Female, 65.8% | Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 4.1% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 13.6% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 18% | 11% |