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Contracting officer vs operations specialist

The differences between contracting officers and operations specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a contracting officer has an average salary of $60,007, which is higher than the $54,752 average annual salary of an operations specialist.

The top three skills for a contracting officer include contractor proposals, contract administration and contract management. The most important skills for an operations specialist are customer service, logistics, and basic math.

Contracting officer vs operations specialist overview

Contracting OfficerOperations Specialist
Yearly salary$60,007$54,752
Hourly rate$28.85$26.32
Growth rate-10%
Number of jobs59,896109,181
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age4444
Years of experience--

What does a contracting officer do?

In government agencies, a Contracting Officer plays a vital role in securing contracts for different projects. They are responsible for liaising with internal and external parties, conducting research and analyses, developing plans to attain project requirements, negotiating contracts, and procuring materials according to standards. They are also responsible for supervising the administrative processes related to the deals, from planning to execution, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Moreover, it is essential to function as a contracting officer while adhering to government policies and regulations.

What does an operations specialist do?

An operations specialist is responsible for optimizing the business' daily operations, ensuring smooth process flow to provide the best services to clients. Operations specialists' duties include analyzing business procedures, identifying opportunities for business improvement, tracking the department's metrics and activities, providing assistance to colleagues, suggesting strategies for operations efficiency, and managing customer's inquiries and complaints. An operations specialist must be an excellent team player and detail-oriented, as well as proven time-management and decision-making skills to meet clients' needs and support the business' objectives.

Contracting officer vs operations specialist salary

Contracting officers and operations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Contracting OfficerOperations Specialist
Average salary$60,007$54,752
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $95,000Between $35,000 And $85,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateMarylandRhode Island
Best paying companyPacific Northwest National LaboratoryCoatue Management
Best paying industryGovernmentGovernment

Differences between contracting officer and operations specialist education

There are a few differences between a contracting officer and an operations specialist in terms of educational background:

Contracting OfficerOperations Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityWestern Carolina University

Contracting officer vs operations specialist demographics

Here are the differences between contracting officers' and operations specialists' demographics:

Contracting OfficerOperations Specialist
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 65.7% Female, 34.3%Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between contracting officer and operations specialist duties and responsibilities

Contracting officer example responsibilities.

  • Compile RFQ's, internet research, and manage officers.
  • Manage the RFQ and RFP solicitation process with campus departments to ensure legal and ethical compliance with state statutes.
  • Analyze requirements' effects on budget and formulate alternative logistics plans when operations or requirements change to accomplish unit's mission.
  • Perform market analysis of government agencies utilizing and not utilizing GSA travel services to capture undeveloped market.
  • Implement GSA assist acquisition service to provide task order support for federal agencies procuring ETS2 master contract.
  • Resolve day to day issues between personnel, contracting companies, base operations, government personnel and the DoD.
  • Show more

Operations specialist example responsibilities.

  • Develop and implement VBA scripts to automate tasks in financial reporting.
  • Manage all international A/R functions, reporting, sales, expense analysis and marketing campaigns as well as all royalties.
  • Manage and process 100 FDA electronic and paper submissions including safety reports, new investigator reports, amendments, and protocols.
  • Demonstrate ability to manage and organize clinical setting for patients and families.
  • Personalize and manage a customer SQL network database to consolidate all incoming orders from different marketplaces.
  • Manage a variety of operational tasks for moderately complex securities transactions that require knowledge of vary systems and processes.
  • Show more

Contracting officer vs operations specialist skills

Common contracting officer skills
  • Contractor Proposals, 8%
  • Contract Administration, 7%
  • Contract Management, 5%
  • Contract Terms, 5%
  • Market Research, 4%
  • Technical Assistance, 4%
Common operations specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 21%
  • Logistics, 4%
  • Basic Math, 4%
  • PowerPoint, 4%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 4%
  • Operational Procedures, 4%

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