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What does a strategic development director do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read

A strategic development director is responsible for systematic fundraising and holistic collection of revenue. They foster an ongoing relationship with donors and carry out fundraising campaigns. They work to develop strategic goals for their organization and to create short- and long-term plans to meet those goals.

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Strategic development director responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real strategic development director resumes:

  • 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.
  • Provide mergers and acquisitions due diligence/modeling analysis/management/valuation support.

Strategic development director skills and personality traits

We calculated that 26% of Strategic Development Directors are proficient in Strategic Development, Business Development, and RFP. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Creativity, and Interpersonal skills.

We break down the percentage of Strategic Development Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Strategic Development, 26%

    Lead the strategic development, programs and fundraising divisions.

  • Business Development, 16%

    Supported client management for pharmaceutical industry customers and coordinated proposal development and delivery with appropriate Business Development leaders.

  • RFP, 6%

    Lead and manage large RFP responses to ensure corporate objectives for profitability, sustainability, and operational delivery objectives are met.

  • Business Relationships, 6%

    Developed and maintained professional/business relationships.

  • Sales Strategy, 5%

    Developed and managed sales strategy for new product line introduction to national grocery chains increasing sales 32% in initial year.

  • Strategic Plan, 4%

    Created TAM/SAM/SOM models, and developed the associated materials for the Corporate Strategic Plan and executive level strategy meetings.

Most strategic development directors use their skills in "strategic development," "business development," and "rfp" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential strategic development director responsibilities here:

Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a strategic development director to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what strategic development directors do because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to analyze industry trends to determine the most promising strategies for their organization." Additionally, a strategic development director resume shows how strategic development directors use analytical skills: "provide up-to-date competitive analysis on mpeg encoding / decoding technology. "

Creativity. Another essential skill to perform strategic development director duties is creativity. Strategic development directors responsibilities require that "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to generate new and imaginative ideas." Strategic development directors also use creativity in their role according to a real resume snippet: "led strategic and creative direction with well-defined, measurable roi outcomes and integrated marketing services to deliver greater results. "

Interpersonal skills. This is an important skill for strategic development directors to perform their duties. For an example of how strategic development director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "managers must deal with a range of people in different roles, both inside and outside the organization." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a strategic development director: "utilize excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills to establish strategic business relationships that increase/streamline processes needed to initiate/close sales. ".

Organizational skills. A big part of what strategic development directors do relies on "organizational skills." You can see how essential it is to strategic development director responsibilities because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must manage their time and budget efficiently while directing and motivating staff members." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical strategic development director tasks: "develop strategic plan including growth and sustainability initiatives to progress mission assess business needs for continuous improvement and advancement of organizational objectives"

Communication skills. A commonly-found skill in strategic development director job descriptions, "communication skills" is essential to what strategic development directors do. Strategic development director responsibilities rely on this skill because "managers must be able to communicate effectively with a broad-based team made up of other managers or staff members during the advertising, promotions, and marketing process." You can also see how strategic development director duties rely on communication skills in this resume example: "architected corporate strategy communications, planning and development with the senior executive team including the president and group vice presidents. "

See the full list of strategic development director skills

Choose from 10+ customizable strategic development director resume templates

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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
Strategic Development Director Resume
Strategic Development Director Resume
Strategic Development Director Resume
Strategic Development Director Resume
Strategic Development Director Resume
Strategic Development Director Resume

Compare different strategic development directors

Strategic development director vs. Director of strategy

A director of the strategy works together with senior managers in a company to determine where the company is going and how it will get there. This role is frequently found in big companies. The director of the strategy directly reports to senior management and can also be a valuable member of the management lineup. The director often works with a small team consisting of analysts and support staff. The director of the strategy is also responsible for getting and assessing information about the industry and current market trends, competitors, and possible business opportunities.

The annual salary of directors of strategy is $18,092 higher than the average salary of strategic development directors.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between strategic development directors and directors of strategy are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like strategic development, business development, and rfp.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between strategic development directors and director of strategy. For instance, strategic development director responsibilities require skills such as "business relationships," "sales strategy," "pharmaceutical industry," and "financial institutions." Whereas a director of strategy is skilled in "analytics," "healthcare," "project management," and "client facing." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Directors of strategy tend to make the most money working in the media industry, where they earn an average salary of $159,449. In contrast, strategic development directors make the biggest average salary, $129,362, in the technology industry.directors of strategy tend to reach higher levels of education than strategic development directors. In fact, directors of strategy are 6.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Strategic development director vs. Director

Directors work in show business, whether in a film, a television show, or a theatre production. They are responsible for bringing the material to life. They work with the writers to get a clear vision of how the production should look. They lead the production team in planning for the production, identifying filming or rehearsing schedules, casting for roles, and other aspects that need to be decided upon. Directors provide direction to the actors to ensure that the actors understand their role and will be able to effectively convey emotions to the audience. They also manage all other crew members and communicate their expectations clearly so that everyone on the set is working towards one vision.

Director positions earn lower pay than strategic development director roles. They earn a $14,289 lower salary than strategic development directors per year.A few skills overlap for strategic development directors and directors. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "business development," "rfp," and "strategic plan. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that strategic development director responsibilities requires skills like "strategic development," "business relationships," "sales strategy," and "business cases." But a director might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "healthcare," "customer service," "oversight," and "project management."

On average, directors earn a lower salary than strategic development directors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, directors earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $155,819. Whereas strategic development directors have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $129,362.In general, directors achieve similar levels of education than strategic development directors. They're 2.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Strategic development director vs. Vice president product development

A vice president for product development is responsible for leading the product development team in the execution of development activities to enhance the product's brand image in the market and achieve the sales performance target. Vice presidents for product development monitor the product development techniques from the conceptualization to the final execution and market release. They also handle the budget and resource allocation to support product development operations, ensuring that the outputs meet the quality standards and timetables.

On average scale, vice presidents product development bring in higher salaries than strategic development directors. In fact, they earn a $41,057 higher salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on strategic development directors and vice presidents product development resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "business development," "rfp," and "strategic plan.rdquo;

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from strategic development director resumes include skills like "strategic development," "business relationships," "sales strategy," and "business cases," whereas a vice president product development is more likely to list skills in "analytics," "product management," "project management," and "product strategy. "

Vice presidents product development earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $164,622. Comparatively, strategic development directors have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $129,362.vice presidents product development typically earn similar educational levels compared to strategic development directors. Specifically, they're 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Strategic development director vs. Director of sales & business development

A director of sales & business development is responsible for monitoring the business and project plans, ensuring that the sales targets are met, according to project requirements and specifications. Directors of sales & business development perform data analysis to track business performance and identify opportunities to grow revenues and profits. They also coordinate with the clients and maintain healthy business relationships by enhancing their brand image on various platforms and reach the target audience. A director of sales & business development works closely with the marketing and sales team for public relations and marketing campaigns placement.

Directors of sales & business development typically earn lower pay than strategic development directors. On average, directors of sales & business development earn a $45,193 lower salary per year.While both strategic development directors and directors of sales & business development complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like business development, rfp, and business relationships, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between strategic development directors and directors of sales & business development, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a strategic development director might have more use for skills like "strategic development," "sales strategy," "strategic plan," and "business cases." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of directors of sales & business development require skills like "sales cycle," "crm," "revenue growth," and "leveraged. "

Directors of sales & business development enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $127,443. For comparison, strategic development directors earn the highest salary in the technology industry.The average resume of directors of sales & business development showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to strategic development directors. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 7.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 1.5%.

Types of strategic development director

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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