Post job

What is a strategic development director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

If you choose to be a strategic development director, you need to know what's expected of you. You are responsible for revenue's systematic fundraising and holistic collection.

Some responsibilities also include sourcing, researching, and managing strategic partnerships together with leading creative and strategic direction for programs.

Being a strategic development director, you should have good analytical skills to help the company gather information from different sources and interpret the data into a meaningful conclusion that will benefit the company. Also, creativity is important, and good interpersonal skills are also preferred for effective communication.

Almost half of the strategic development directors today possess a master's degree, but a bachelor's degree or lower is enough to become one. However, obtaining a master's degree might give you some steps ahead of your competitors.

The average salary of a strategic development director is $128,137 with a job growth rate of 8%. Your career can progress through the years as you take on more roles and responsibilities in the workplace.

ScoreStrategic Development DirectorUS Average
Salary
8.3

Avg. Salary $127,778

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 8.15%

Black or African American 3.04%

Hispanic or Latino 8.67%

Unknown 5.32%

White 74.58%

Gender

female 34.05%

male 65.95%

Age - 38
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 - 38
Stress level
7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Strategic development director career paths

Key steps to become a strategic development director

  1. Explore strategic development director education requirements

    Most common strategic development director degrees

    Bachelor's

    69.2 %

    Master's

    20.1 %

    Associate

    4.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific strategic development director skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Strategic Development25.89%
    Business Development15.77%
    RFP6.38%
    Business Relationships5.78%
    Sales Strategy4.71%
  3. Complete relevant strategic development director training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New strategic development directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a strategic development director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real strategic development director resumes.
  4. Research strategic development director duties and responsibilities

    • Lead strategic and creative direction with well-define, measurable ROI outcomes and integrate marketing services to deliver greater results.
    • Lead centralized, electronic referral center coordinating post-acute service needs of patients discharging from multiple acute facilities in Arizona region.
    • Establish WW economics of new product design prospects - ROI, margin targets, pricing / cost models.
    • Provide mergers and acquisitions due diligence/modeling analysis/management/valuation support.
  5. Get strategic development director experience

    Generally, it takes 8-10 years to become a strategic development director. The most common roles before becoming a strategic development director include business development director, account executive team lead and program director.
  6. Prepare your strategic development director resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your strategic development director 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 strategic development director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable strategic development director resume templates

    Build a professional strategic development director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your strategic development director resume.
    Strategic Development Director Resume
    Strategic Development Director Resume
    Strategic Development Director Resume
    Strategic Development Director Resume
    Strategic Development Director Resume
    Strategic Development Director Resume
    Strategic Development Director Resume
    Strategic Development Director Resume
    Strategic Development Director Resume
  7. Apply for strategic development director jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a strategic development director 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 strategic development director job

Zippi

Are you a strategic development director?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average strategic development director salary

The average strategic development director salary in the United States is $127,778 per year or $61 per hour. Strategic development director salaries range between $89,000 and $182,000 per year.

Average strategic development director salary
$127,778 Yearly
$61.43 hourly

What am I worth?

salary-calculator

How do strategic development directors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Strategic development director reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

keeping the company vibrant in the marketplace and returning maximum shareholder value

Cons

have to change my mindset


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Pros

B2B Communication and Building Relationships, Product\Strategy Development and Implementation, Solving Problems


Working as a strategic development director? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall rating*
Career growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

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.

Browse executive management jobs