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What is a senior vice president and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
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A senior vice president is a high-ranking executive who holds a leadership role within a company or organization. They oversee multiple departments and implement strategies to achieve the organization's goals. Senior vice presidents typically contribute to decision-making, financial planning, and stakeholder relationships. They work with other executives and department heads to ensure effective communication and collaboration. In addition to leadership duties, senior vice presidents also represent the company and build relationships with partners and clients.

ScoreSenior Vice PresidentUS Average
Salary
10.0

Avg. Salary $194,770

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
10.0

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
1.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.64%

Asian 7.61%

Black or African American 3.73%

Hispanic or Latino 7.72%

Unknown 3.89%

White 76.40%

Gender

female 25.10%

male 74.90%

Age - 52
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 52
Stress Level
10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
3.0

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Senior Vice President?

Pros

  • Potential for stock options or equity ownership

  • Chance to mentor and develop junior employees

  • Exposure to global markets and international business practices

  • Flexibility in work hours and location

  • Potential for bonuses and performance-based incentives

Cons

  • Long hours and high stress levels

  • Constant pressure to meet financial targets and goals

  • High expectations from investors, shareholders, and board members

  • Need to constantly adapt to changing industry trends and competition

  • May require frequent travel or relocation

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Senior Vice President career paths

Key steps to become a senior vice president

  1. Explore senior vice president education requirements

    Most common senior vice president degrees

    Bachelor's

    71.3 %

    Master's

    18.5 %

    Doctorate

    4.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior vice president skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Financial Services8.36%
    SVP6.71%
    Oversight6.41%
    Healthcare5.50%
    Risk Management5.47%
  3. Research senior vice president duties and responsibilities

    • Manage relationships with hedge funds, administrators and investors regarding trade requests, derivative restructuring and compliance issues.
    • Manage legal proceedings and investigations with state, federal, and self-regulatory organization securities and insurance regulatory agencies.
    • Manage the successful transition of a large-cap telecommunications company from NYSE to NASDAQ including all relate communications and events.
    • Manage all financial functions including controlling/accounting, board and regulatory reporting, treasury and cash management, and asset/liability management.
  4. Get senior vice president experience

    Generally, it takes more than 10 years to become a senior vice president. The most common roles before becoming a senior vice president include vice president, assistant vice president team lead and vice president and manager.
  5. Prepare your senior vice president resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior vice president resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior vice president resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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  6. Apply for senior vice president jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior vice president job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Senior Vice President Job

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Average senior vice president salary

The average Senior Vice President salary in the United States is $194,770 per year or $94 per hour. Senior vice president salaries range between $125,000 and $302,000 per year.

Average Senior Vice President Salary
$194,770 Yearly
$93.64 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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How do senior vice presidents rate their job?

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Senior Vice President reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2022
Pros

Independence in decision making

Cons

I am responsible for everything be it any side of the business


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Cons

Antigienic people, irresponsible people, lazy employees


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

I do not work as a finance Vice President but I would like to become one.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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