Post job

Senior director vs executive

The differences between senior directors and executives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a senior director, becoming an executive takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a senior director has an average salary of $152,047, which is higher than the $108,285 average annual salary of an executive.

The top three skills for a senior director include healthcare, analytics and patients. The most important skills for an executive are customer service, digital transformation, and healthcare.

Senior director vs executive overview

Senior DirectorExecutive
Yearly salary$152,047$108,285
Hourly rate$73.10$52.06
Growth rate10%6%
Number of jobs131,87183,869
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age3952
Years of experience10-

What does a senior director do?

Senior directors are the top management who manage the overall corporate structure of a brand. These executives take responsibility for the planning, operations, and profitability of the company. They direct and control all the functions of businesses. Their jobs cover the advertising, marketing, sales, and promotions of products and services. They are the people behind the tactical and strategic management of every asset of the enterprise through different programs.

What does an executive do?

An Executive's responsibilities vary depending on an organization or company. However, most of the time, it involves a great deal of leadership and communication. An Executive must oversee and direct employees towards particular sets of goals and vision, create strategies and plans that will benefit the company's financial gains and workforce, and as well as evaluate and analyze the progress of various company departments. Moreover, an Executive holds the power of decision-making, such as in the aspects of budget, promotions, and policies.

Senior director vs executive salary

Senior directors and executives have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior DirectorExecutive
Average salary$152,047$108,285
Salary rangeBetween $105,000 And $219,000Between $63,000 And $184,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAProvidence, RI
Highest paying stateCaliforniaRhode Island
Best paying companyAppleCapgemini
Best paying industryPharmaceutical-

Differences between senior director and executive education

There are a few differences between a senior director and an executive in terms of educational background:

Senior DirectorExecutive
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of GeorgiaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Senior director vs executive demographics

Here are the differences between senior directors' and executives' demographics:

Senior DirectorExecutive
Average age3952
Gender ratioMale, 66.6% Female, 33.4%Male, 56.0% Female, 44.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 7.6% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage10%12%

Differences between senior director and executive duties and responsibilities

Senior director example responsibilities.

  • Lead the expansion for support of public sector business in EMEA and APAC.
  • Create and deliver pitch decks, while being task with managing RFP responses.
  • Organize scrum certification training, lead departmental reorganization around scrum teams and act as scrum coach.
  • Lead assessment, design, and implementation of operational governance capabilities for the EMEA & ASIA regions.
  • Manage ongoing ITIL certification program for UK operations as required by government regulation.
  • Help project managers understand financial responsibilities and lead them in increase product delivery and ROI.
  • Show more

Executive example responsibilities.

  • Manage capital investments and operating costs to generate ROI, IRR and cash flow.
  • Facilitate KPI dashboard for actual performance to forecast/targets and drive action plans to achieve them.
  • Manage reputation for search engine optimization, and reputation of website and business as a whole through SEO.
  • Manage several multi-phase DoD programs and projects simultaneously.
  • Manage events for fundraising, donor recognition and alumni relations.
  • Delegate & execute human resources, payroll management, marketing/sales techniques training & development.
  • Show more

Senior director vs executive skills

Common senior director skills
  • Healthcare, 6%
  • Analytics, 6%
  • Patients, 6%
  • Portfolio, 5%
  • Oversight, 5%
  • Project Management, 5%
Common executive skills
  • Customer Service, 20%
  • Digital Transformation, 15%
  • Healthcare, 10%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 8%
  • Financial Statements, 5%
  • Business Development, 4%

Browse executive management jobs