Director of plant operations vs operations director

The differences between directors of plant operations and operations directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a director of plant operations and an operations director. Additionally, a director of plant operations has an average salary of $118,735, which is higher than the $104,050 average annual salary of an operations director.

The top three skills for a director of plant operations include plant operations, life safety and healthcare. The most important skills for an operations director are customer service, continuous improvement, and oversight.

Director of plant operations vs operations director overview

	Director Of Plant Operations	Operations Director
Yearly salary	$118,735	$104,050
Hourly rate	$57.08	$50.02
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	93,236	114,993
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

What does a director of plant operations do?

A director of plant operations is responsible for monitoring daily production operations and manufacturing processes. Directors of plant operations manage the department's budgeting and allocation of resources to support business functions and product distribution. They also handle the adequacy of inventories, create purchase requests, and facilitating training and programs to maximize staff's productivity and efficiency. A director of plant operations must have excellent communication and organizational skills to track the operation's progress and minimize excessive loss.

What does an operations director do?

Operations directors oversee all company operations. They have the power to set the direction, change the course of the organization, and reform strategies to ensure efficiency in how the company operates. Operations directors manage business operations effectively by constantly analyzing company data and by anticipating any challenge that may come their way. As such, they make sound business decisions and recommendations that will help strengthen the organization. Operations directors oversee finances, quality control, and even human resources. They ensure that all aspects of the business are considered in making business operations decisions.

Director of plant operations vs operations director salary

Directors of plant operations and operations directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Plant Operations	Operations Director
Average salary	$118,735	$104,050
Salary range	Between $85,000 And $165,000	Between $65,000 And $164,000
Highest paying City	Fremont, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	BridgePoint Healthcare	Airbnb
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Finance

Differences between director of plant operations and operations director education

There are a few differences between a director of plant operations and an operations director in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Plant Operations	Operations Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Director of plant operations vs operations director demographics

Here are the differences between directors of plant operations' and operations directors' demographics:

	Director Of Plant Operations	Operations Director
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2%	Male, 70.6% Female, 29.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between director of plant operations and operations director duties and responsibilities

Director of plant operations example responsibilities.

Implement comprehensive ERP solution to manage inventory, customer relationships and financial applications.
Institute major testing and documentation as required by CMS and TJC.
Execute minor repairs in plumbing, drywall, tile flooring, medical equipment, kitchen equipment, HVAC systems, etc.
Update corporate policies and procedures for compliance with, JCAHO, ADA, NFPA, and other governmental regulations and requirements.
Oversee regulations with regulatory agencies including OSHA.
Project management and oversight of all facility construction and renovation projects.

Operations director example responsibilities.

Manage KPI reports from all warranty companies to ensure increasing sales and productivity.
Spearhead governance, security and compliance initiatives to achieve SOX and PCI compliance.
Manage a PMO style team to implement any changes across the global contact centers.
Develop all marketing strategies and materials as well as personally managing key OEM and national accounts.
Manage multiple vendor relationships for RFP development and review, contract negotiation, contract terms management, and accounts payable review.
Provide leadership to manufacturing organization by aligning overall KPIs to achieve near term and long term business objectives.

Director of plant operations vs operations director skills

Common director of plant operations skills

Plant Operations, 10%
Life Safety, 7%
Healthcare, 7%
OSHA, 7%
Patients, 5%
HVAC, 4%

Common operations director skills

Customer Service, 12%
Continuous Improvement, 7%
Oversight, 7%
Patients, 6%
Project Management, 5%
Human Resources, 4%

Director Of Plant Operations vs. similar jobs

Director Of Plant Operations related careers

Director Of Plant Operations related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Director Of Plant Operations
Director Of Plant Operations vs Operations Director

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs