Post job

What does a division manager do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Eric Olsen
What does a division manager do

Division managers supervise a section of the company and are responsible for that division's success. General duties include organizing, planning, allocating resources, and managing the daily operations of the sector. Part of their duty is to evaluate the division's performance and develop strategies for performance improvement. They ensure that compliance to policies and procedures is maintained by the team members. Also, they assist in employee recruitment and performance evaluation for promotion, retention, and termination undertakings. Additionally, division managers need to fix issues that hinder achieving division goals and success.

On this page

Division manager responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real division manager resumes:

  • Achieve $2.5 million increase in EBITDA, from - $2.3 million to + $200K.
  • Exceed budget in years two & three and achieve ISO certification in year one.
  • Exceed budget in years 2 & 3 and achieve ISO certification in year 1.
  • Launch the usage of a CRM tool to assist associates in managing book of business.
  • Develop operational plans, implement schedules, coordinate supply logistics and manage the operational plan from inception to completion.
  • Establish productive working relationships with state and federal regulatory agencies, reorganize and improve operation, and achieve OSHA compliance.
  • Organize and run group recreational activities.
  • Post payments via 4-Star windows base program.
  • Develop business cases with market and competitive analysis and ROI.
  • Implement CRM, in store demonstration best practices, education on product / application system selling and consultative value selling approach.
  • Leverage ROI models for marketing effectiveness that result in incremental earnings.
  • Compile and verify payroll for temporary employees to be enter into computerized database system.
  • Prepare and maintain accounts payable, accounts receivable and payroll for real estate/property management company.
  • Design and prepare educational material for national, state and local healthcare associations and organizations.
  • Design methodology and operational procedures for processing MAO inquiries regarding CMS risk adjustment policies and calculations.

Division manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 16% of Division Managers are proficient in Customer Service, Project Management, and Safety Program. They’re also known for soft skills such as Management skills, Problem-solving skills, and Time-management skills.

We break down the percentage of Division Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Customer Service, 16%

    Coordinated all operations including inside sales, customer service, and inventory management, reporting directly to NABS corporate management.

  • Project Management, 7%

    Proposed and sponsored development of an Online EIS OLAP project management system providing real time status modeling capability for corporate executives.

  • Safety Program, 6%

    Audited safety programs and safe patient training options, making recommendations for improvements and providing advice on risk management concerns.

  • Oversight, 6%

    Served as a technical expert to human product sales force, physicians and customers and provided organizational regulatory oversight.

  • Human Resources, 5%

    Provided strategic guidance to internal employees, administering Human Resources policies and procedures to ensure regulatory compliance of branch operation.

  • Financial Statements, 4%

    Conducted assessment of financial statements and sales and activity reports to measure productivity against objectives.

Most division managers use their skills in "customer service," "project management," and "safety program" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential division manager responsibilities here:

Problem-solving skills. Another essential skill to perform division manager duties is problem-solving skills. Division managers responsibilities require that "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." Division managers also use problem-solving skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "coach staff and provide the necessary training to division employees in areas of, conflict resolution, performance evaluations and self-evaluations. "

Time-management skills. division managers are also known for time-management skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to division manager responsibilities, because "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." A division manager resume example shows how time-management skills is used in the workplace: "redesigned customer service work flow which decreased complaint resolution time by 50%. "

Communication skills. For certain division manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "communication skills." The day-to-day duties of a division manager rely on this skill, as "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what division managers do: "devise and facilitate customized, on-site training programs in leadership development, employee engagement, and presentation & communication effectiveness. "

Leadership skills. A commonly-found skill in division manager job descriptions, "leadership skills" is essential to what division managers do. Division manager responsibilities rely on this skill because "top executives must be able to shape and direct an organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources." You can also see how division manager duties rely on leadership skills in this resume example: "provided leadership, counseling and program oversight of all day-to-day operations for assigned adult developmentally disabled long term residential homes. "

Most common division manager skills

The three companies that hire the most division managers are:

Choose from 10+ customizable division manager resume templates

Build a professional division manager resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your division manager resume.
Division Manager Resume
Division Manager Resume
Division Manager Resume
Division Manager Resume
Division Manager Resume
Division Manager Resume
Division Manager Resume
Division Manager Resume
Division Manager Resume
Division Manager Resume
Division Manager Resume
Division Manager Resume
Division Manager Resume
Division Manager Resume
Division Manager Resume
Division Manager Resume

Compare different division managers

Division manager vs. Manager of business services

Business Service Managers are administrative professionals who oversee different service-related functions in the company. They manage the teams involved in serving various functions. They ensure proper coordination between these teams. \They carefully allocate resources to cover their bases and ensure that services are available at all times. Business Service Managers prepare and draft policies and guidelines related to company services. They also ensure that these guidelines are properly cascaded and are followed by their constituents.

We looked at the average division manager salary and compared it with the wages of a manager of business services. Generally speaking, managers of business services are paid $16,489 higher than division managers per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between division managers and managers of business services are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like customer service, project management, and oversight.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between division managers and manager of business services. For instance, division manager responsibilities require skills such as "safety program," "business plan," "product development," and "iso." Whereas a manager of business services is skilled in "cpa," "risk management," "business operations," and "taxation." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Managers of business services tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $110,546. In contrast, division managers make the biggest average salary, $95,992, in the finance industry.The education levels that managers of business services earn slightly differ from division managers. In particular, managers of business services are 5.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a division manager. Additionally, they're 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Division manager vs. General manager of operations

General managers of operations are employed to oversee the overall operations of businesses. Their responsibilities include the improvement of the efficiency of the operations and overall management. They coordinate the primary performance goals for direct reporting functions and set the strategies for the organization. It is their responsibility to communicate strategy as well as results to employees. They also engage with the corporate officers in the strategic planning and development of the organization or enterprise.

General manager of operations positions earn higher pay than division manager roles. They earn a $7,767 higher salary than division managers per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both division managers and general managers of operations have skills such as "customer service," "oversight," and "human resources. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real division manager resumes. While division manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "project management," "safety program," "product development," and "professional development," general managers of operations use skills like "develop team," "continuous improvement," "personnel processes," and "loss prevention."

Average education levels between the two professions vary. General managers of operations tend to reach similar levels of education than division managers. In fact, they're 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for division managers in the next 3-5 years?

Eric OlsenEric Olsen LinkedIn profile

Professor, Industrial Technology and Packaging, Orfalea College of Business

We are doubling down on what we call "digital fabrication." Most manufacturing technologies we deal with now have a growing digital component that our students need to understand and be competent in. Of course, that means current hot exotics like additive manufacturing, but our students need to look at any process and realize there is probably a digitally enhanced path forward.

Division manager vs. Operations manager, district

A district operations manager is a managerial professional who manages the daily operations of stores within the assigned district as well as provides support to managers in ensuring quality and budget performance. The district operations manager must work with the store management to create and implement action plans to address deficiencies discovered during a store audit. They are required to evaluate areas of operational concern and provide support during the implementation of solutions. District operations managers must also create a cooperative environment between operations and sales departments to motivate all employees to enhance customer service.

On average scale, operations managers, district bring in lower salaries than division managers. In fact, they earn a $181 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on division managers and operations managers, district resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "safety program," "oversight," and "human resources.rdquo;

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from division manager resumes include skills like "customer service," "project management," "business plan," and "product development," whereas an operations manager, district is more likely to list skills in "succession planning," "team training," "store management," and "close coordination. "

Operations managers, district make a very good living in the retail industry with an average annual salary of $87,812. On the other hand, division managers are paid the highest salary in the finance industry, with average annual pay of $95,992.When it comes to education, operations managers, district tend to earn similar degree levels compared to division managers. In fact, they're 4.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Division manager vs. General service manager

General service managers are professionals who manage the administrative activities of a company to ensure that a proper environment for its operations is achieved. These managers are required to supervise the maintenance activities and upgrades of equipment and systems so that they can minimize disruptions of business activities. Under the direction of the finance manager, general service managers must coordinate with service providers on matters related to finance and tax. They must also manage teams to ensure that they comply with local and occupational health laws.

General service managers tend to earn a higher pay than division managers by an average of $3,432 per year.According to resumes from division managers and general service managers, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "customer service," "oversight," and "human resources. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "project management," "safety program," "product development," and "professional development" are skills that commonly show up on division manager resumes. On the other hand, general service managers use skills like customer satisfaction, employee development, client satisfaction, and excellent guest on their resumes.general service managers enjoy the best pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $87,540. For comparison, division managers earn the highest salary in the finance industry.general service managers reach similar levels of education compared to division managers, in general. The difference is that they're 1.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of division manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse executive management jobs