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Business unit manager vs senior operations manager

The differences between business unit managers 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 manager and a senior operations manager. Additionally, a senior operations manager has an average salary of $126,839, which is higher than the $122,782 average annual salary of a business unit manager.

The top three skills for a business unit manager include continuous improvement, customer service and product line. The most important skills for a senior operations manager are customer service, project management, and continuous improvement.

Business unit manager vs senior operations manager overview

Business Unit ManagerSenior Operations Manager
Yearly salary$122,782$126,839
Hourly rate$59.03$60.98
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs295,151247,414
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4444
Years of experience66

What does a business unit manager do?

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.

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 manager vs senior operations manager salary

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

Business Unit ManagerSenior Operations Manager
Average salary$122,782$126,839
Salary rangeBetween $81,000 And $184,000Between $91,000 And $175,000
Highest paying CityEast Providence, RIJersey City, NJ
Highest paying stateRhode IslandNew Jersey
Best paying companyCitiAirbnb
Best paying industryTechnologyProfessional

Differences between business unit manager and senior operations manager education

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

Business Unit ManagerSenior Operations Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Business unit manager vs senior operations manager demographics

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

Business Unit ManagerSenior Operations Manager
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 82.8% Female, 17.2%Male, 74.2% Female, 25.8%
Race ratioBlack 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, 6.1% 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 manager and senior operations manager duties and responsibilities

Business unit manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage capital investment of $250k refurbishment project in RBD department to begin the plant's first TPM program.
  • Manage a portfolio of inpatient and outpatient products market to major academic medical centers, community hospitals and nursing homes.
  • Maintain establishment's monthly bills including payroll, utilities, advertisement, and vending.
  • Review as-is business processes and deploy new processes, roles & responsibilities and KPI's.
  • Calculate and paid all payroll taxes, sales taxes, and alcohol taxes for the business.
  • Develop and implement new business processes, tools, KPI's and scorecards to drive both improvement and adoption.
  • 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 manager vs senior operations manager skills

Common business unit manager skills
  • Continuous Improvement, 11%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Product Line, 5%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 4%
  • Financial Performance, 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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