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The differences between field managers and operations 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 field manager, becoming an operations manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an operations manager has an average salary of $76,894, which is higher than the $68,695 average annual salary of a field manager.
The top three skills for a field manager include minor maintenance, patients and customer service. The most important skills for an operations manager are customer service, logistics, and continuous improvement.
| Field Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $68,695 | $76,894 |
| Hourly rate | $33.03 | $36.97 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 79,908 | 343,868 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 6 |
A field manager is an individual who manages a staff of field representatives that travel to customers' sites to promote their products or services. Field managers must hire new employees and arrange in-house and vendor training programs to ensure they have a full understanding of their responsibilities. They must evaluate all their field employees and generate reports highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each member of the team. Field managers may work in different industries that have outside sales representatives such as pharmaceutical companies, computer repair companies, or HVAC companies.
Operations managers are in charge of running the main business of the organization. They ensure that the business is running smoothly from an operations standpoint. They make sure that the processes in place produce the necessary output by implementing quality control measures. They also manage finances and ensure that there is enough budget to keep the operations of the business running. They also ensure that the production of goods or services is cost-efficient. Operations managers also handle people-related concerns. They are responsible for interviewing candidates, choosing the ones to hire, and ensuring that individuals assigned to operations are properly trained.
Field managers and operations managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Average salary | $68,695 | $76,894 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $109,000 | Between $47,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Genentech | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Technology |
There are a few differences between a field manager and an operations manager in terms of educational background:
| Field Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between field managers' and operations managers' demographics:
| Field Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0% | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 2.8% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 10% |