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The differences between business unit leaders and senior operations 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 senior operations manager. Additionally, a senior operations manager has an average salary of $126,839, 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 senior operations manager are customer service, project management, and continuous improvement.
| Business Unit Leader | Senior Operations Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $111,361 | $126,839 |
| Hourly rate | $53.54 | $60.98 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 88,824 | 247,414 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| 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 senior operations manager oversees the business operations within a particular department or establishment, ensuring that all procedures adhere to the policies and standards of the company. There are also instances when they must evaluate workers' performances, set budget and sales targets, produce progress reports and assessments, and coordinate with high-ranking officials. Moreover, a senior operations manager leads by motivating the workforce and devising strategies to improve the workflow and reach sales targets within the deadline. Should there be any issues, they must carry out corrective measures right away.
Business unit leaders and senior operations managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Unit Leader | Senior Operations Manager | |
| Average salary | $111,361 | $126,839 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $191,000 | Between $91,000 And $175,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Goldman Sachs | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Professional |
There are a few differences between a business unit leader and a senior operations manager in terms of educational background:
| Business Unit Leader | Senior Operations Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between business unit leaders' and senior operations managers' demographics:
| Business Unit Leader | Senior Operations Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.1% Female, 18.9% | Male, 74.2% Female, 25.8% |
| 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, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |