Post job

Senior associate vs principal

The differences between senior associates and principals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior associate and a principal. Additionally, a principal has an average salary of $111,719, which is higher than the $83,034 average annual salary of a senior associate.

The top three skills for a senior associate include project management, business development and powerpoint. The most important skills for a principal are CRM, project management, and financial services.

Senior associate vs principal overview

Senior AssociatePrincipal
Yearly salary$83,034$111,719
Hourly rate$39.92$53.71
Growth rate8%5%
Number of jobs54,60184,015
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4447
Years of experience44

What does a senior associate do?

The Responsibilities of a Senior Associate will depend on the line of organization or industry. Most of the time, the duties will revolve around conducting various testing and assessments, planning and analysis, developing innovative solutions to boost company productivity, and keeping an organized flow of documentation. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of a Senior to Associate to lead a team of skilled professionals and shape them with extensive knowledge while adhering to its policies and regulations.

What does a principal do?

A principal is responsible for maintaining the orderliness of the school premises and supervising school operations, enforcing strict safety standards, and reiterating regulatory procedures. Principals' duties also include managing and monitoring school budget and expenses, improving security plans, conducting regular meetings and sharing updates with teachers and other school personnel, creating reports for school funding, and setting academic goals for everyone's compliance. A principal must administer excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills to handle major administrative tasks in maintaining the school's growth.

Senior associate vs principal salary

Senior associates and principals have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior AssociatePrincipal
Average salary$83,034$111,719
Salary rangeBetween $56,000 And $121,000Between $69,000 And $179,000
Highest paying CityJersey City, NJNew York, NY
Highest paying stateNew JerseyNew York
Best paying companySheppard Mullin Richter & HamptonKKR & Co. L.P.
Best paying industryFinanceProfessional

Differences between senior associate and principal education

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

Senior AssociatePrincipal
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Senior associate vs principal demographics

Here are the differences between senior associates' and principals' demographics:

Senior AssociatePrincipal
Average age4447
Gender ratioMale, 55.6% Female, 44.4%Male, 65.6% Female, 34.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 6.2% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage12%16%

Differences between senior associate and principal duties and responsibilities

Senior associate example responsibilities.

  • Ensure timely filing for all payer mix including, manage care, medicare and Medicaid.
  • Demonstrate work assessment and supervise the Midwest ISO in implementing a process driven model to achieve compliance against current energy tariff.
  • Lead team in successful internal implementation of integration of PeopleSoft with consultant billing system
  • Perform audit and reviews on diversify clientele involving examination of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and validating internal controls.
  • Conduct data analysis and visualization to support recommendation to shed the second largest business unit and return to core business model.
  • Audit and review appeals for medical necessity.
  • Show more

Principal example responsibilities.

  • Manage all documentation associate with FMLA, ADA, & DOL requests.
  • Develop schedules, payroll, and manage recruiting, hiring and company standards to ensure customer satisfaction.
  • Launch, continue to manage, and act as primary portfolio manager and trader for boutique investment consulting firm.
  • Manage the RFP process for a new medical plan TPA delivering a savings of almost $1MM in fix costs.
  • Achieve 7-digit annual revenues from start-up in one year by capitalizing on accurate niche market gap and consumer demand identification.
  • Manage all human resource matters, including payroll and benefits administration.
  • Show more

Senior associate vs principal skills

Common senior associate skills
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Business Development, 6%
  • PowerPoint, 5%
  • Financial Services, 3%
  • GAAP, 3%
  • Risk Management, 3%
Common principal skills
  • CRM, 7%
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Financial Services, 6%
  • Healthcare, 6%
  • Professional Services, 5%
  • ERP, 5%

Browse business and financial jobs