Program director vs senior program associate

The differences between program directors and senior program associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a program director and a senior program associate. Additionally, a program director has an average salary of $80,664, which is higher than the $56,190 average annual salary of a senior program associate.

The top three skills for a program director include oversight, social work and patients. The most important skills for a senior program associate are phone calls, program management, and powerpoint.

Program director vs senior program associate overview

	Program Director	Senior Program Associate
Yearly salary	$80,664	$56,190
Hourly rate	$38.78	$27.01
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	82,810	65,343
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	6	6

What does a program director do?

Program directors are employees who oversee all aspects of a specific program in the company. They usually work in nonprofit organizations or are assigned to a department doing corporate social responsibility activities. Program directors ensure that the program is in line with the company's goals. They also ensure that the resources assigned to the program are properly managed and that all finances are accounted for. They create strategies to ensure the success of the program and communicate these to everyone involved. They lead the implementation and evaluation of the program.

What does a senior program associate do?

A senior program associate performs a variety of tasks for an organization, including conducting clinical documentation audits, overseeing and approving all treatment and discharge plans, and implementing process improvements. As a senior program associate, you will be responsible for assisting units in developing proposals and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders in producing materials such as reports and brochures. In addition, you will also be responsible for preparing and submitting reports on time and working closely with the finance department in developing needed financials.

Program director vs senior program associate salary

Program directors and senior program associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Program Director	Senior Program Associate
Average salary	$80,664	$56,190
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $129,000	Between $37,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Georgia	California
Best paying company	Mayo Clinic	Google
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between program director and senior program associate education

There are a few differences between a program director and a senior program associate in terms of educational background:

	Program Director	Senior Program Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Northwestern University

Program director vs senior program associate demographics

Here are the differences between program directors' and senior program associates' demographics:

	Program Director	Senior Program Associate
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 41.4% Female, 58.6%	Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.3% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	14%	14%

Differences between program director and senior program associate duties and responsibilities

Program director example responsibilities.

Manage personnel performing SAS programming, technical document preparation and quality assurance.
Manage program budgets and supervise staff to ensure that immunization and registry activities are successfully implement.
Manage direct support professionals serving adult populations for persons with mental health, developmental disabilities and children with autism.
Manage day-to-day oversight and management involving planning, programming, execution, distribution, and analysis for assign organizations budgets.
Implement client ADL, ISP, and behavior plans in a group home.
Organize schedule for swim lessons and kids camp.

Senior program associate example responsibilities.

Conduct daily clinical documentation audits, manage consumer financial accounts, provide oversight and approval for all treatment and discharge planning.
Assist with the logistics of the sessions provide.
Coordinate with other USG and USAID agencies to maximize level of benefits and service provide to the targeted groups.
Coordinate logistics and itineraries for field monitoring missions, internal and external meetings, workshops, and program launching events.
Develop and copyright modular debugging routines in SAS.
Develop PowerPoint presentations for use during program-relate events and activities.

Program director vs senior program associate skills

Common program director skills

Oversight, 9%
Social Work, 6%
Patients, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Mental Health, 5%
Program Management, 5%

Common senior program associate skills

Phone Calls, 12%
Program Management, 11%
PowerPoint, 8%
Data Collection, 6%
Data Analysis, 6%
Technical Assistance, 4%

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Program Director vs Senior Program Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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