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The differences between chiefs of operations and chiefs of staff can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a chief of operations, becoming a chief of staff takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a chief of staff has an average salary of $130,835, which is higher than the $124,927 average annual salary of a chief of operations.
The top three skills for a chief of operations include oversight, emergency operations and logistical support. The most important skills for a chief of staff are PET, team support, and project management.
| Chief Of Operations | Chief Of Staff | |
| Yearly salary | $124,927 | $130,835 |
| Hourly rate | $60.06 | $62.90 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 93,283 | 124,272 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 44 | 52 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
The chief of operations is responsible for monitoring the overall operational process of a company, maintaining efficient project management, and accurate project deliverables. They contribute to the implementation of corporate decisions, including the development of the company's policies and procedures. They also support the CEO in board meetings to report the business' performance and identify opportunities to increase brand awareness and boost profitability. The chief of operations handles financial transactions of the business, as well as budgeting and allocating resources for each department.
A chief of staff primarily supports an executive through performing various administrative tasks. Most of their responsibilities revolve around collaborating with other executive support personnel to devise strategies that will help the company, responding to inquiries and correspondence, approving communications letters, managing schedules, setting appointments, and serving as an advisor to the executive. Furthermore, when it comes to issues and disputes, the chief of staff must be quick to conduct research and perform damage control to help the executive and the company rise from the occasion.
Chiefs of operations and chiefs of staff have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Of Operations | Chief Of Staff | |
| Average salary | $124,927 | $130,835 |
| Salary range | Between $86,000 And $181,000 | Between $85,000 And $200,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | California |
| Best paying company | University of Maryland, Baltimore | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Government | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a chief of operations and a chief of staff in terms of educational background:
| Chief Of Operations | Chief Of Staff | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between chiefs of operations' and chiefs of staff' demographics:
| Chief Of Operations | Chief Of Staff | |
| Average age | 44 | 52 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% | Male, 62.0% Female, 38.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 12% |