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The differences between senior program officers and assistant directors 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 program officer and an assistant director. Additionally, a senior program officer has an average salary of $100,469, which is higher than the $63,063 average annual salary of an assistant director.
The top three skills for a senior program officer include data analysis, global health and HR. The most important skills for an assistant director are customer service, CPR, and child care.
| Senior Program Officer | Assistant Director | |
| Yearly salary | $100,469 | $63,063 |
| Hourly rate | $48.30 | $30.32 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 117,953 | 25,087 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Senior program officers are professionals who are responsible for supervising program development while working with grant recipients to ensure effective use of the organization's resources. These officers must coordinate with the grants administrator or office manager about initial screening and prioritizing of new proposals. They must represent the organization at conferences and community meetings to develop and maintain relationships with existing and prospective partners and stakeholders. Senior program officers must also provide training and coaching that supports the professional development of program associates.
Assistant directors are employees in show business who directly support directors. They may be working on a film, television show, or theatre production. Assistant directors are the second-in-command on the set. They take over for the director when he/she or she is unable to work. Assistant directors should be familiar with the script and the scenes. They are usually heavily involved in the conception of the production. They ensure that the plans are executed well by assisting in the selection of the cast and crew, production sets, and other set providers. They also make sure that shoot days or performance days go without a hitch by ironing out all the details in advance and preparing alternatives.
Senior program officers and assistant directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Program Officer | Assistant Director | |
| Average salary | $100,469 | $63,063 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $146,000 | Between $37,000 And $105,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | Mayer Brown |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | - |
There are a few differences between a senior program officer and an assistant director in terms of educational background:
| Senior Program Officer | Assistant Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Political Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior program officers' and assistant directors' demographics:
| Senior Program Officer | Assistant Director | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% | Male, 38.3% Female, 61.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 14% | 14% |