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Contractor/consultant vs operations specialist

The differences between contractor/consultants and operations specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a contractor/consultant has an average salary of $84,811, which is higher than the $54,752 average annual salary of an operations specialist.

The top three skills for a contractor/consultant include healthcare, post implementation and data analysis. The most important skills for an operations specialist are customer service, logistics, and basic math.

Contractor/consultant vs operations specialist overview

Contractor/ConsultantOperations Specialist
Yearly salary$84,811$54,752
Hourly rate$40.77$26.32
Growth rate11%10%
Number of jobs64,573109,181
Job satisfaction54
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age4444
Years of experience--

What does a contractor/consultant do?

A contractor is a self-employed businessperson who agrees to work for a fixed price. His/her job involves the evaluation of clients' needs and actual performance of work. On the other hand, a consultant is a skilled independent businessperson who provides expert teaching and training in a specific market by assisting existing staff for the improvement of operations, problem-solving, and development of strategies. His/her role is to assess clients' needs and provide expert advice and opinion. However, both individuals are not employees, since they came from outside of the organization to perform such services.

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.

Contractor/consultant vs operations specialist salary

Contractor/consultants and operations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Contractor/ConsultantOperations Specialist
Average salary$84,811$54,752
Salary rangeBetween $58,000 And $123,000Between $35,000 And $85,000
Highest paying CityBoston, MAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateNew JerseyRhode Island
Best paying companyCernerCoatue Management
Best paying industryTechnologyGovernment

Differences between contractor/consultant and operations specialist education

There are a few differences between a contractor/consultant and an operations specialist in terms of educational background:

Contractor/ConsultantOperations Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityWestern Carolina University

Contractor/consultant vs operations specialist demographics

Here are the differences between contractor/consultants' and operations specialists' demographics:

Contractor/ConsultantOperations Specialist
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 66.2% Female, 33.8%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 contractor/consultant and operations specialist duties and responsibilities

Contractor/consultant example responsibilities.

  • Manage design and development of cloud-base billing application for streamlining payroll and invoicing, as well as offering real-time business analytics.
  • Assist PMO in defining project scope, task and budget, collaborating closely with developers.
  • Bill and provide appropriate documentation to submit reimbursement for services to appropriate insurance to include Medicaid, Medicare, etc.
  • Motivate and ensure SME team member engagement in projects.
  • Provide Linux server setup, documentation, and internal support.
  • Develop and implement SQL store procedures and DTS packages to process client billing data.
  • 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

Contractor/consultant vs operations specialist skills

Common contractor/consultant skills
  • Healthcare, 30%
  • Post Implementation, 25%
  • Data Analysis, 7%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • Financial Statements, 3%
  • Medicaid, 3%
Common operations specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 21%
  • Logistics, 4%
  • Basic Math, 4%
  • PowerPoint, 4%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 4%
  • Operational Procedures, 4%

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