Program officer vs director of social services

The differences between program officers and directors of social services 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 officer and a director of social services. Additionally, a program officer has an average salary of $79,553, which is higher than the $56,932 average annual salary of a director of social services.

The top three skills for a program officer include project management, program management and excellent interpersonal. The most important skills for a director of social services are social work, patients, and discharge planning.

Program officer vs director of social services overview

	Program Officer	Director Of Social Services
Yearly salary	$79,553	$56,932
Hourly rate	$38.25	$27.37
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	118,383	86,154
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	6	6

What does a program officer do?

A program officer is an essential part of a foundation or charitable organization. It is up to program officers to supervise program progress and proposals, seek grants, manage projects, and oversee budgets. They generally guarantee that an organization's activities and programs are met with the vision and mission statements of that foundation. It is the program officer's responsibility to complete various tasks in completing the demands of this position. Moreover, their job includes developing their staff, implementation, and daily management of activities.

What does a director of social services do?

A director of social services or social services director is an individual who works with the community to identify the suitable programs and services. Social services directors provide overall leadership for certain departments within organizations. Essentially, they take charge of the daily activities of a program or an organization. They perform as social services board secretary and executive officer. In nursing homes, the directors assess patients, develop care plans, and help patients adjust along with their respective families.

Program officer vs director of social services salary

Program officers and directors of social services have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Program Officer	Director Of Social Services
Average salary	$79,553	$56,932
Salary range	Between $53,000 And $117,000	Between $40,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Malden, MA
Highest paying state	California	Massachusetts
Best paying company	BNP Paribas	Icma-rc
Best paying industry	Finance	Health Care

Differences between program officer and director of social services education

There are a few differences between a program officer and a director of social services in terms of educational background:

	Program Officer	Director Of Social Services
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Social Work
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Washington

Program officer vs director of social services demographics

Here are the differences between program officers' and directors of social services' demographics:

	Program Officer	Director Of Social Services
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 47.1% Female, 52.9%	Male, 15.7% Female, 84.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 5.0% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	14%	14%

Differences between program officer and director of social services duties and responsibilities

Program officer example responsibilities.

Manage request for proposals (RFP) processes, and oversee contractors/vendors for research-relate activities.
Manage a political party strengthening program in Colombia and a civil society strengthening program in Peru from NDI's main office.
Lead the introduction and upgrade of wireless infrastructure at remote locations to ensure adherence with internal and international wireless standards.
Follow privacy guidelines (HIPAA).
Increase immunization coverage for the different age groups.
Improve store rates for hitting all internal sales and QA goals.

Director of social services example responsibilities.

Transform CRM system from measuring activities to managing business pipeline.
Facilitate weekly or bi-weekly care meeting between patients, family members and staff to discuss physical progress and recommendations post rehabilitation.
Provide educations for families and resident on available community assistance, hospice services, insurance benefits, Medicare and Medicaid education.
Maintain WordPress articles using SEO, article tags, and categories.
Conduct patient family, and staff interviews and ensure relevant MDS sections are complete.
Train in first aid and CPR to help event goers until medical personnel arrive.

Program officer vs director of social services skills

Common program officer skills

Project Management, 9%
Program Management, 7%
Excellent Interpersonal, 5%
PowerPoint, 5%
Public Health, 5%
Professional Development, 5%

Common director of social services skills

Social Work, 21%
Patients, 10%
Discharge Planning, 7%
Mental Health, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%
Community Resources, 3%

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Program Officer vs Director Of Social Services

Updated January 8, 2025

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