How do you get promoted to senior director?

To get promoted to senior director, a person must be an expert leader in their field. Additionally, they must have a deep understanding of the inner workings of their particular organization.

How many years does it take to become a senior director?

It typically takes 15 or more years to become a senior director. While the time can vary depending on industry and individual career track, senior directors are typically required to have at least a bachelor's degree and ten years of experience within the industry.

Is a senior director higher than a director?

Yes, a senior director is a higher position than a senior director. Not all companies have both senior director and senior director positions; however, it is important to understand the structure of a particular company to determine what level a specific senior director position might be.

What are the responsibilities of a senior director?

The responsibilities of a senior director vary by department but center around the strategic and tactical management of a significant piece of the company. Senior directors ensure that every aspect of the company they oversee is performing to allow for optimal and strategic growth.

How To Become A Senior Director: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A senior director oversees the strategic direction of a company or organization. They work with other senior leaders to develop and implement long-term plans, set goals, and manage budgets. Senior directors are also responsible for managing teams and ensuring that their departments work cohesively towards common objectives. They may be involved in hiring, training, and mentoring other employees, as well as building relationships with stakeholders and industry partners.

ScoreSenior DirectorUS Average

Salary

9.0

Avg. Salary $152,047

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 33.39%

male 66.61%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a Senior Director?

Pros

Opportunities for professional growth and development
Exposure to upper management and networking opportunities
Access to resources and support staff
Increased autonomy and decision-making power
Intellectual challenge

Cons

Long hours and demanding workload
Constant need to balance competing priorities
Difficult personnel management issues, including firing employees
Need to stay current on industry trends and best practices
Need to balance short-term goals with the long-term vision

Key steps to become a senior director

Explore senior director education requirements

Most common senior director degrees

Bachelor's

68.7 %

Master's

21.0 %

Associate

4.6 %

Start to develop specific senior director skills

Skills	Percentages
Healthcare	6.31%
Analytics	6.09%
Patients	5.91%
Portfolio	5.37%
Oversight	5.21%

Complete relevant senior director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior 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 senior director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior director resumes.

Research senior director duties and responsibilities

Lead the expansion for support of public sector business in EMEA and APAC.
Create and deliver pitch decks, while being task with managing RFP responses.
Organize scrum certification training, lead departmental reorganization around scrum teams and act as scrum coach.
Lead assessment, design, and implementation of operational governance capabilities for the EMEA & ASIA regions.

Get senior director experience

Generally, it takes 8-10 years to become a senior director. The most common roles before becoming a senior director include director, vice president team lead and manager.

Prepare your senior director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior 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 senior 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 Senior Director Resume templates

Build a professional Senior 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 Senior Director resume.

Apply for senior director jobs

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

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

How do senior directors rate their job?

-/5

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1 Star

Senior Director reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Pros

The impact that this role can have in the organization, and the high responsabilities