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The differences between business unit leaders and business unit managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a business unit leader and a business unit manager. Additionally, a business unit manager has an average salary of $122,782, which is higher than the $111,361 average annual salary of a business unit leader.
The top three skills for a business unit leader include continuous improvement, quality standards and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for a business unit manager are continuous improvement, customer service, and product line.
| Business Unit Leader | Business Unit Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $111,361 | $122,782 |
| Hourly rate | $53.54 | $59.03 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 88,824 | 295,151 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A Business Unit Leader manages growth initiatives such as future acquisition opportunities, strategic partnerships, and organic innovation. These professionals control strategy deployment to ensure operational productivity and economy. They offer this service to sites focusing on Human Resources, Information Technology, Lead Operation, Lean Accounting, Lead Process, Strategic Pricing, and more. Business Unit Leaders also lead by promoting talent management, counseling, team concepts, individual development, training, coaching, mentoring, and retaining. They develop and manage the business unit department budget and strategic plan.
A business unit manager handles a unit or segment of the company. This unit may be a specialized team on specific projects or a part of a significant production process. The business unit manager ensures that the unit works efficiently and productively by implementing strategies and techniques that will enhance the productive output. A business unit manager also provides suggestions, offers solutions to problems, handles tasks delegation, planning production processes, and training and monitoring of employees in a unit.
Business unit leaders and business unit managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Unit Leader | Business Unit Manager | |
| Average salary | $111,361 | $122,782 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $191,000 | Between $81,000 And $184,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | East Providence, RI |
| Highest paying state | New York | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Goldman Sachs | Citi |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a business unit leader and a business unit manager in terms of educational background:
| Business Unit Leader | Business Unit Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between business unit leaders' and business unit managers' demographics:
| Business Unit Leader | Business Unit Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.1% Female, 18.9% | Male, 82.8% Female, 17.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |