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Senior associate vs specialist

The differences between senior associates and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior associate, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior associate has an average salary of $83,034, which is higher than the $58,013 average annual salary of a specialist.

The top three skills for a senior associate include project management, business development and powerpoint. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.

Senior associate vs specialist overview

Senior AssociateSpecialist
Yearly salary$83,034$58,013
Hourly rate$39.92$27.89
Growth rate8%10%
Number of jobs54,601358,433
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4442
Years of experience42

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 specialist do?

Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.

Senior associate vs specialist salary

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

Senior AssociateSpecialist
Average salary$83,034$58,013
Salary rangeBetween $56,000 And $121,000Between $32,000 And $104,000
Highest paying CityJersey City, NJJersey City, NJ
Highest paying stateNew JerseyNew Jersey
Best paying companySheppard Mullin Richter & HamptonThe Citadel
Best paying industryFinance-

Differences between senior associate and specialist education

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

Senior AssociateSpecialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaStanford University

Senior associate vs specialist demographics

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

Senior AssociateSpecialist
Average age4442
Gender ratioMale, 55.6% Female, 44.4%Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5%
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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage12%11%

Differences between senior associate and specialist 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

Specialist example responsibilities.

  • Create, manage, and assist users with SharePoint sites.
  • Manage an on-site IRB and company good clinical practice (GCP) inspection.
  • Manage SharePoint sites by creating, editing, and customizing company sites, libraries and security.
  • Manage the building of accounts, assigning of static IP's, and scheduling of business class installations.
  • Convert servers from UNIX to Linux, all hardware diagnostics and repair including printers/plotters/desktops etc.
  • Follow safety procedures such as maintenance of all equipment (Telxon scanners, terminals and ladders).
  • Show more

Senior associate vs specialist skills

Common senior associate skills
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Business Development, 6%
  • PowerPoint, 5%
  • Financial Services, 3%
  • GAAP, 3%
  • Risk Management, 3%
Common specialist skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Work Ethic, 5%
  • Patient Care, 4%
  • Exceptional Client, 4%
  • Troubleshoot, 4%

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