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Assistant department manager vs 1st assistant manager

The differences between assistant department managers and 1st 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 manager and a 1st assistant manager. Additionally, an assistant department manager has an average salary of $43,686, which is higher than the $29,020 average annual salary of a 1st assistant manager.

The top three skills for an assistant department manager include standard operating procedure, customer service and work ethic. The most important skills for a 1st assistant manager are cleanliness, guest service, and food safety.

Assistant department manager vs 1st assistant manager overview

Assistant Department Manager1st Assistant Manager
Yearly salary$43,686$29,020
Hourly rate$21.00$13.95
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs199,757407,937
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age4343
Years of experience66

What does an assistant department manager do?

An assistant department manager is responsible for supporting the assigned department operations under the supervision of the head department manager. Assistant department managers oversee the performance of the staff, ensuring the highest productivity with quality services. They also assist in budget allocation, coordinating with the senior management for expenses reports, and suggest cost reduction strategies. An assistant department manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially on coordinating with business partners for project deliverables and maximize the staff's potential by arranging department training and programs.

What does a 1st assistant manager do?

The 1st assistant manager assists the head manager in handling a large operation or project. Companies hire 1st assistant managers to handle large scope projects and to administer and manage hundreds of employees. The 1st assistant manager's task is to help the head manager handle employees, ensure instructions are followed, and meet deadlines. 1st assistant managers must be responsible, especially in administrative roles such as generating reports, managing employee problems and requests, and escalating issues to the head or store manager whenever needed.

Assistant department manager vs 1st assistant manager salary

Assistant department managers and 1st assistant managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Assistant Department Manager1st Assistant Manager
Average salary$43,686$29,020
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $72,000Between $21,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between assistant department manager and 1st assistant manager education

There are a few differences between an assistant department manager and a 1st assistant manager in terms of educational background:

Assistant Department Manager1st Assistant Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeSUNY College of Technology at DelhiSUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Assistant department manager vs 1st assistant manager demographics

Here are the differences between assistant department managers' and 1st assistant managers' demographics:

Assistant Department Manager1st Assistant Manager
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 50.4% Female, 49.6%Male, 41.8% Female, 58.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.9% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between assistant department manager and 1st assistant manager duties and responsibilities

Assistant department manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage daily operations, approve and monitor payroll management system for non-exempt staff and student assistants.
  • Implement inventory management system to effectively manage on-hands, assist with correct replenishment and maintain an acceptable level of over-stock.
  • Help and teach employees with using slicers, fryers, and serving customers.
  • Reconcile payments using POS software including credit, cash, exchanges, returns and gift card purchases.
  • Assist department manager with everyday conditioning to ensure the department is ran at the highest level of efficiency.
  • Handle POS balancing by counting cash at the end of each shift and ensuring that any discrepancies are immediately addressed.
  • Show more

1st assistant manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage a team in order to reach daily, monthly, and yearly monetary, KPI, and loyalty goals.
  • Operate POS system, cash register, fax machine, credit and debit card machine and copy machine.
  • Handle attendance and punctuality, performance evaluations, implement policies and procedures, provide guidelines for database clean-up and informal training.
  • Design and present a PowerPoint slide show to introduce customers to digital photography, thereby enhancing photo department sales.

Assistant department manager vs 1st assistant manager skills

Common assistant department manager skills
  • Standard Operating Procedure, 16%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Work Ethic, 10%
  • Sales Associates, 8%
  • Payroll, 6%
  • Cleanliness, 6%
Common 1st assistant manager skills
  • Cleanliness, 15%
  • Guest Service, 10%
  • Food Safety, 10%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Exceptional Guest, 8%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 8%