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Business unit leader vs senior operations manager

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 vs senior operations manager overview

Business Unit LeaderSenior Operations Manager
Yearly salary$111,361$126,839
Hourly rate$53.54$60.98
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs88,824247,414
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4444
Years of experience66

What does a business unit leader do?

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.

What does a senior operations manager do?

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 leader vs senior operations manager salary

Business unit leaders and senior operations managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Business Unit LeaderSenior Operations Manager
Average salary$111,361$126,839
Salary rangeBetween $64,000 And $191,000Between $91,000 And $175,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCJersey City, NJ
Highest paying stateNew YorkNew Jersey
Best paying companyGoldman SachsAirbnb
Best paying industryManufacturingProfessional

Differences between business unit leader and senior operations manager education

There are a few differences between a business unit leader and a senior operations manager in terms of educational background:

Business Unit LeaderSenior Operations Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Business unit leader vs senior operations manager demographics

Here are the differences between business unit leaders' and senior operations managers' demographics:

Business Unit LeaderSenior Operations Manager
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 81.1% Female, 18.9%Male, 74.2% Female, 25.8%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage10%10%

Differences between business unit leader and senior operations manager duties and responsibilities

Business unit leader example responsibilities.

  • Manage and develop employee KPIs to assist in reaching monthly and annual gross profit goals.
  • Manage a team of four and hold matrix leadership responsibility for specialists assign to particular technical areas for business continuity projects.
  • Coordinate all KPIs and develop measurement tools of teams by line/shift.
  • Deliver meaningful fact-base guidance for visual analytics and data review to support decision making from patient safety and data review prospective.
  • Metal stamping, heading, screw machine, CNC, tapping, light press stamping and assembly work.
  • Utilize PDCA cycle to measure department goals.
  • Show more

Senior operations manager example responsibilities.

  • Organize efforts of team to achieve ACD productivity goals.
  • Manage the build-out and daily operations of a network operations center (NOC).
  • Manage and coordinate the staff for better inventory and stores management up to the ISO standard.
  • Manage existing department service contracts for facilities including cleaning, exterminating, security and HVAC.
  • Create and manage departmental SharePoint sites, utilizing electronic tools to track productivity and increase efficiency.
  • Manage employees to ensure efficient sortation of packages through the facility, minimizing operational cost and maximizing operational quality.
  • Show more

Business unit leader vs senior operations manager skills

Common business unit leader skills
  • Continuous Improvement, 10%
  • Quality Standards, 6%
  • Lean Manufacturing, 6%
  • Safety Culture, 6%
  • World Class, 5%
  • Business Development, 4%
Common senior operations manager skills
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Project Management, 8%
  • Continuous Improvement, 7%
  • Oversight, 6%
  • Process Improvement, 5%
  • Logistics, 5%

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