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The differences between senior production managers and production directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a senior production manager and a production director. Additionally, a senior production manager has an average salary of $128,721, which is higher than the $118,207 average annual salary of a production director.
The top three skills for a senior production manager include project management, continuous improvement and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for a production director are video production, project management, and oversight.
| Senior Production Manager | Production Director | |
| Yearly salary | $128,721 | $118,207 |
| Hourly rate | $61.89 | $56.83 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 55,902 | 59,417 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 48 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Basically, a Senior Production Manager takes responsibility for supervising the production reports in assigned departments. Senior Production Managers are in charge of the product workmanship or product quality of methods, techniques, and processes. They focus on conformance with economical manufacturing objectives, profit goals, and production schedules. They ensure that the production process is on time and within the budget.
Production directors work with production teams to manage the operation workflow, quality, and schedule adherence. They also monitor production activities to make necessary adjustments to the schedule to ensure that all deliverables are delivered on time, develop ideas for process improvements, and optimize production speed while maintaining the quality of the products. There are a few skills that most employers look for in production directors, like analytical skills, leadership skills, and creativity which are very helpful in fulfilling this role.
Senior production managers and production directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Production Manager | Production Director | |
| Average salary | $128,721 | $118,207 |
| Salary range | Between $91,000 And $181,000 | Between $70,000 And $199,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | White Plains, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | The Walt Disney Company | Netflix |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior production manager and a production director in terms of educational background:
| Senior Production Manager | Production Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior production managers' and production directors' demographics:
| Senior Production Manager | Production Director | |
| Average age | 48 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.5% Female, 34.5% | Male, 70.0% Female, 30.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 9.1% White, 69.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 14% |