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The differences between assistant department heads and assistant managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an assistant department head and an assistant manager. Additionally, an assistant department head has an average salary of $65,309, which is higher than the $39,127 average annual salary of an assistant manager.
The top three skills for an assistant department head include ladders, sales floor and customer service. The most important skills for an assistant manager are paperwork, cleanliness, and customer service.
| Assistant Department Head | Assistant Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $65,309 | $39,127 |
| Hourly rate | $31.40 | $18.81 |
| Growth rate | - | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 41,690 | 566,132 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An assistant department head is responsible for monitoring the operations of the department, together with the department head. Assistant department heads' duties include managing clients' inquiries and complaints, developing strategic solutions to improve clients' satisfaction, and identifying business opportunities to increase revenues and the business' profitability. They will also work on monitoring the staff's performance and addressing their concerns, creating sales reports, maintaining budget goals, and organizing training. An assistant department head must have excellent leadership and communication skills to help in achieving the department's objectives.
An assistant manager provides assistance and support to the direct manager in ensuring that the business runs smoothly with guaranteed satisfaction. An associate manager helps organize daily projects and manages employees to make sure that tasks are being done in a timely and accurate manner. Assistant managers are also expected to develop a good relationship with the whole workforce and clients to contribute to a successful and healthy workplace. An assistant manager is also required to present practical strategies for business growth, monitor daily operations, and communicate with clients for any possible suggestions and complaints.
Assistant department heads and assistant managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Department Head | Assistant Manager | |
| Average salary | $65,309 | $39,127 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $106,000 | Between $23,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Centereach, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Princeton University | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Finance |
There are a few differences between an assistant department head and an assistant manager in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Department Head | Assistant Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between assistant department heads' and assistant managers' demographics:
| Assistant Department Head | Assistant Manager | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1% | Male, 42.0% Female, 58.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 7.4% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 10% |