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Data operations director vs technical manager

The differences between data operations directors and technical 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 data operations director, becoming a technical manager takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a data operations director has an average salary of $150,529, which is higher than the $116,619 average annual salary of a technical manager.

The top three skills for a data operations director include tableau, visualization and project management. The most important skills for a technical manager are project management, infrastructure, and architecture.

Data operations director vs technical manager overview

Data Operations DirectorTechnical Manager
Yearly salary$150,529$116,619
Hourly rate$72.37$56.07
Growth rate16%8%
Number of jobs133,372116,732
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age4740
Years of experience82

What does a data operations director do?

A data operations director is responsible for managing the company's database and ensure the safety and security of all the data to prevent unauthorized access and information risk. Data operations directors coordinate with data engineers to design systems that would support business functions and operations. They also implement data handling procedures to organize data accurately and properly dispose of outdated ones. A data operations director reports all system failures and leads network infrastructures to improve the performance of data systems.

What does a technical manager do?

A technical manager is responsible for maintaining the company's information systems database and analyzing technology system matters to ensure its efficiency and accuracy in supporting business operations. Technical managers perform network checks regularly to assess any possible malfunctions that might compromise the company's cybersecurity. They carefully analyze business and clients' specifications on working with systems integration, responding to end-users' concerns and inquiries. A technical manager must have excellent knowledge of the information technology systems industry, as well as a strong command on network codes to conduct adjustments and manage network infrastructure.

Data operations director vs technical manager salary

Data operations directors and technical managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Data Operations DirectorTechnical Manager
Average salary$150,529$116,619
Salary rangeBetween $104,000 And $217,000Between $84,000 And $161,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyRubicon GlobalA.T. Kearney
Best paying industryTechnologyManufacturing

Differences between data operations director and technical manager education

There are a few differences between a data operations director and a technical manager in terms of educational background:

Data Operations DirectorTechnical Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University

Data operations director vs technical manager demographics

Here are the differences between data operations directors' and technical managers' demographics:

Data Operations DirectorTechnical Manager
Average age4740
Gender ratioMale, 68.3% Female, 31.7%Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%14%

Differences between data operations director and technical manager duties and responsibilities

Data operations director example responsibilities.

  • Lead account through server refresh, server monitoring and path toward server virtualization.
  • Champion, foster and lead an initiative to migrate core systems from proprietary UNIX to Linux.
  • Introduce and lead the implementation of virtualization technologies throughout the organization.
  • Manage large multisite datacenter environment consisting of mainframe and open systems.
  • Lead team responsible for design of private/public cloud environment supporting widely distribute engineering resources.
  • Manage contract information for provisioning feasibility and establish reporting statistics to track completion of orders for the department.
  • Show more

Technical manager example responsibilities.

  • Lead efforts to establish asset and desktop /server management best practices.
  • Provide project management and KPIs development to ensure service levels are achieve and improve upon.
  • Project manage WebEx's customer call flow (IVRU) structure to meet both business and customer needs.
  • Lead project to implement Salesforce.com.
  • Manage high level support resources and evaluate XML technology against business requirements.
  • Optimize chemical formulas, manage chemical supply chain, troubleshoot laboratory and plant implementation.
  • Show more

Data operations director vs technical manager skills

Common data operations director skills
  • Tableau, 15%
  • Visualization, 13%
  • Project Management, 9%
  • SAS, 7%
  • Direct Reports, 6%
  • ROI, 6%
Common technical manager skills
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Infrastructure, 6%
  • Architecture, 6%
  • Java, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Emerging Technologies, 4%

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