Systems director vs director of software development

The differences between systems directors and directors of software development can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a systems director and a director of software development. Additionally, a director of software development has an average salary of $158,853, which is higher than the $136,676 average annual salary of a systems director.

The top three skills for a systems director include patients, oversight and health system. The most important skills for a director of software development are java, software development, and cloud.

Systems director vs director of software development overview

	Systems Director	Director Of Software Development
Yearly salary	$136,676	$158,853
Hourly rate	$65.71	$76.37
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	83,992	136,310
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	8	8

What does a systems director do?

A systems director is in charge of spearheading the implementation and development of systems and networks within a company, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities revolve around setting goals and objectives, allocating budgets, identifying company needs, and developing strategies to optimize operations. They may also manage the workforce and resolve any issues as needed. Furthermore, as a systems director, it is essential to lead and encourage the workers to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations, creating new ones as needed.

What does a director of software development do?

A director of software development is primarily in charge of overseeing the workflow and the workforce involved in the entire software development process. Their responsibilities also include creating strategies for optimal performance, coordinating with different teams and departments to identify strengths and weaknesses, implementing training and workshop programs, and liaising with external agencies, including key clients. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach new heights.

Systems director vs director of software development salary

Systems directors and directors of software development have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Systems Director	Director Of Software Development
Average salary	$136,676	$158,853
Salary range	Between $98,000 And $189,000	Between $110,000 And $228,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Holland & Knight	eBay
Best paying industry	Media	Technology

Differences between systems director and director of software development education

There are a few differences between a systems director and a director of software development in terms of educational background:

	Systems Director	Director Of Software Development
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Business	Computer Science
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	Carnegie Mellon University

Systems director vs director of software development demographics

Here are the differences between systems directors' and directors of software development' demographics:

	Systems Director	Director Of Software Development
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 72.3% Female, 27.7%	Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 15.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between systems director and director of software development duties and responsibilities

Systems director example responsibilities.

Manage installation and administration of HP-UX, AIX, Unix, and Linux servers.
Implement and manage a VoIP phone system to streamline communications between branch locations and reduce operating costs by $60k.
Manage budgets associate with payroll, equipment and other costs associate with examinations.
Lead projects with responsibilities for the architecture, implementation and administration of data warehouse and repository technical environments.
Ensure availability by installing SAN arrays replicating in real time.
Integrate multiple CRM applications into a single platform for access worldwide.

Director of software development example responsibilities.

Manage metadata system deploy to AWS.
Manage software communications for EDI and HTML distribution orders.
Manage engineering org of 3 teams , 40+ engineers including DevOps, architects and managers.
Manage continuous build integration through Jenkins and provide training and maintenance of git, repo and gerrit repositories.
Manage consultants, staff and set objectives in accordance with IEEE standards, ISO 9000 and PMI methodology.
Manage and mentore software development team in developing efficient coding practices using ColdFusion, MySQL JavaScript, and PHP.

Systems director vs director of software development skills

Common systems director skills

Patients, 10%
Oversight, 8%
Health System, 7%
Patient Care, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Process Improvement, 4%

Common director of software development skills

Java, 19%
Software Development, 8%
Cloud, 7%
Software Engineering, 5%
C++, 4%
Python, 4%

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Systems Director vs Director Of Software Development

Updated January 8, 2025

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