Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between business unit managers and business leaders 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 manager and a business leader. Additionally, a business unit manager has an average salary of $122,782, which is higher than the $90,430 average annual salary of a business leader.
The top three skills for a business unit manager include continuous improvement, customer service and product line. The most important skills for a business leader are analytics, project management, and customer service.
| Business Unit Manager | Business Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $122,782 | $90,430 |
| Hourly rate | $59.03 | $43.48 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 295,151 | 117,296 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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 Leaders are considered trailblazers in their field. They are innovative thinkers who often introduce solutions to their industry's challenges. They inspire people pursuing careers in their field and even those outside the industry to strive harder and create their paths to success. Employees often look up to Business Leaders, which is why they must be motivating. They also oversee their business operations and often set long-term targets and strategies to achieve these targets. They think outside the box to set their business apart from their competitors.
Business unit managers and business leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Unit Manager | Business Leader | |
| Average salary | $122,782 | $90,430 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $184,000 | Between $56,000 And $145,000 |
| Highest paying City | East Providence, RI | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New York |
| Best paying company | Citi | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a business unit manager and a business leader in terms of educational background:
| Business Unit Manager | Business Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between business unit managers' and business leaders' demographics:
| Business Unit Manager | Business Leader | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.8% Female, 17.2% | Male, 64.4% Female, 35.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |