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The differences between commercial managers and operations managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a commercial manager, becoming an operations manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a commercial manager has an average salary of $100,167, which is higher than the $76,894 average annual salary of an operations manager.
The top three skills for a commercial manager include project management, customer service and business development. The most important skills for an operations manager are customer service, logistics, and continuous improvement.
| Commercial Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $100,167 | $76,894 |
| Hourly rate | $48.16 | $36.97 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 104,252 | 343,868 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 6 |
A commercial manager is in charge of devising strategies for optimal procedures. Their responsibilities typically revolve around liaising with clients to determine their needs, coordinating with different departments to gather necessary data, performing research and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems, and developing new business plans for profit growth and efficient workflow. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the staff to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Operations managers are in charge of running the main business of the organization. They ensure that the business is running smoothly from an operations standpoint. They make sure that the processes in place produce the necessary output by implementing quality control measures. They also manage finances and ensure that there is enough budget to keep the operations of the business running. They also ensure that the production of goods or services is cost-efficient. Operations managers also handle people-related concerns. They are responsible for interviewing candidates, choosing the ones to hire, and ensuring that individuals assigned to operations are properly trained.
Commercial managers and operations managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commercial Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Average salary | $100,167 | $76,894 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $143,000 | Between $47,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Cheniere Energy | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a commercial manager and an operations manager in terms of educational background:
| Commercial Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between commercial managers' and operations managers' demographics:
| Commercial Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.3% Female, 26.7% | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 10% |