Senior director human resources vs human resources generalist

The differences between senior directors human resources and human resources generalists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior director human resources and a human resources generalist. Additionally, a senior director human resources has an average salary of $148,930, which is higher than the $56,159 average annual salary of a human resources generalist.

The top three skills for a senior director human resources include performance management, employee engagement and SR. The most important skills for a human resources generalist are HRIS, performance management, and customer service.

Senior director human resources vs human resources generalist overview

	Senior Director Human Resources	Human Resources Generalist
Yearly salary	$148,930	$56,159
Hourly rate	$71.60	$27.00
Growth rate	7%	8%
Number of jobs	54,621	44,365
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	47	41
Years of experience	6	6

What does a senior director human resources do?

A Senior Director of Human Resource supervises all human resource operations and ensures that all of them are executed smoothly and effectively. They also supervise the work of HR personnel and provide guidance.

What does a human resources generalist do?

A human resources generalist is responsible for monitoring the human resources policies and procedures, making adjustments as needed to align with the company's goals and objectives. Duties of a human resources generalist also include improving employee relations system, organizing compliance and knowledge training, reviewing benefit plans, managing compensation inquiries, assisting in recruitment and staffing needs, communicating with department heads in employees' performance reviews, and storing employees' files for reference. A human resource generalist must have excellent communication and decision-making skills to address issues concerning the company and employees' welfare.

Senior director human resources vs human resources generalist salary

Senior directors human resources and human resources generalists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Director Human Resources	Human Resources Generalist
Average salary	$148,930	$56,159
Salary range	Between $106,000 And $207,000	Between $41,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Washington	New York
Best paying company	New London Hospital	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Telecommunication	Technology

Differences between senior director human resources and human resources generalist education

There are a few differences between a senior director human resources and a human resources generalist in terms of educational background:

	Senior Director Human Resources	Human Resources Generalist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Senior director human resources vs human resources generalist demographics

Here are the differences between senior directors human resources' and human resources generalists' demographics:

	Senior Director Human Resources	Human Resources Generalist
Average age	47	41
Gender ratio	Male, 45.1% Female, 54.9%	Male, 20.5% Female, 79.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 8.0% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	18%	9%

Differences between senior director human resources and human resources generalist duties and responsibilities

Senior director human resources example responsibilities.

Lead the complex migration to a new HRIS system to house policies, forms, and benefit information.
Manage and publish several cost-savings models for Sr. level management.
Ensure compliance with legislate requirements such as EEO, FLSA, FMLA and ADA.
Implement an HRIS system that meet all applicable labor and employment requirements at the federal and state levels.
Investigate and respond to formal internal and external EEO complaints and disciplinary cases for the prevention of further legal actions.
Project management responsibility for transition of payroll and benefit function from ADP to PeopleSoft during acquisition.

Human resources generalist example responsibilities.

Manage any payroll-relate issues/questions with ADP directly and communicate resolutions to employees.
Manage administration and compliance of benefit programs, including FMLA and educational assistance programs.
Perform all benefits processing and payroll functions including coordinating and performing employee benefit eligibility and open enrollment activities.
Partner with the corporate compensation Sr.
Assist with the planning and implementation of KRONOS the organization's HRIS system.
Compile data; prepare and present material in PowerPoint presentations for staff meetings.

Senior director human resources vs human resources generalist skills

Common senior director human resources skills

Performance Management, 11%
Employee Engagement, 6%
SR, 5%
HRIS, 5%
Workforce Planning, 5%
Organizational Development, 5%

Common human resources generalist skills

HRIS, 9%
Performance Management, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Exit Interviews, 4%
Payroll Processing, 3%
Excellent Interpersonal, 3%

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Senior Director Human Resources
Senior Director Human Resources vs Human Resources Generalist

Updated January 8, 2025

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