Department manager vs general manager

The differences between department managers and general managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a department manager and a general manager. Additionally, a general manager has an average salary of $71,581, which is higher than the $67,160 average annual salary of a department manager.

The top three skills for a department manager include inventory management, sales promotions and cleanliness. The most important skills for a general manager are customer service, cleanliness, and food safety.

Department manager vs general manager overview

	Department Manager	General Manager
Yearly salary	$67,160	$71,581
Hourly rate	$32.29	$34.41
Growth rate	5%	6%
Number of jobs	330,327	442,690
Job satisfaction	4	4.25
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	43	44
Years of experience	6	6

What does a department manager do?

Department managers oversee the operations of the department they are assigned to. They manage all aspects of the operation, including finance, sales, quality control, and human resources. They set department goals and the steps the team needs to take to ensure that the goals are met. Department managers are also in charge of training team members so that these team members will be able to work together harmoniously. They should also be able to keep the team's goal in sight and adjust their strategy as needed.

What does a general manager do?

A general manager is responsible for handling the overall operations in the business. General managers manage the staff tasks efficiently, monitor the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, implement new strategies to improve the business performance, recognize the team's best efforts, and effective allocation of budget resources. A general manager must have excellent communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills to identify areas of improvement in handling customer complaints, connecting with vendors and other lines of businesses that will direct the company towards its successful objectives.

Department manager vs general manager salary

Department managers and general managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Department Manager	General Manager
Average salary	$67,160	$71,581
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $115,000	Between $40,000 And $126,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Hawaii
Best paying company	Ralph Lauren	NVIDIA
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Manufacturing

Differences between department manager and general manager education

There are a few differences between a department manager and a general manager in terms of educational background:

	Department Manager	General Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	University of Pennsylvania

Department manager vs general manager demographics

Here are the differences between department managers' and general managers' demographics:

	Department Manager	General Manager
Average age	43	44
Gender ratio	Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2%	Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	9%	10%

Differences between department manager and general manager duties and responsibilities

Department manager example responsibilities.

Participate in company's ISO certification program, successfully achieving ISO [] and AS9100 certification.
Manage and delegate over lumber-building materials department including millwork department.
Manage electronics, wireless connection center, layaway and online order/pickup departments.
Develop schedules; manage payroll; multitask extensively to ensure competing requirements are complete.
Monitor and maximize sales and payroll by identifying sales opportunities and managing controllable expenses.
Manage geotechnical aspects of an EIR/EIS for a coastal development in an environmentally sensitive lagoon.

General manager example responsibilities.

Generate positive EBITDA and improve cash flow by managing costs and inventory.
Manage all recruiting and training efforts, and develop systems to track ROI comparison results.
Work as a FOH AGM and train to manage all staff functions including training, hiring, food and labor controls.
Develop yearly budget for multiple hotels that include revenue, labor, fix and variable costs to achieve overall EBITDA goal.
Task primarily with building logistics infrastructure, managing operational expenses, and supporting start up strategies.
Train and manage FOH staff and improve overall quality, organization and professionalism of restaurant and bakery.

Department manager vs general manager skills

Common department manager skills

Inventory Management, 38%
Sales Promotions, 17%
Cleanliness, 13%
Customer Service, 8%
Sales Floor, 3%
Product Knowledge, 2%

Common general manager skills

Customer Service, 20%
Cleanliness, 18%
Food Safety, 7%
Guest Service, 4%
Payroll, 4%
Math, 4%

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Department Manager
Department Manager vs General Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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