Functional lead vs lead operator

The differences between functional leads and lead operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a functional lead, becoming a lead operator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a functional lead has an average salary of $113,422, which is higher than the $88,429 average annual salary of a lead operator.

The top three skills for a functional lead include ERP, client facing and enterprise solutions. The most important skills for a lead operator are customer service, HR, and process improvement.

Functional lead vs lead operator overview

	Functional Lead	Lead Operator
Yearly salary	$113,422	$88,429
Hourly rate	$54.53	$42.51
Growth rate	9%	7%
Number of jobs	33,917	87,338
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	43	46
Years of experience	6	2

What does a functional lead do?

Functional leads are professionals who analyze business requirements and provide system design while implementing system solutions for various business initiatives. These professionals must work with clients and internal stakeholders to identify and understand the functional or business requirements. They must analyze and solve complex system problems so that they can improve the organization's overall Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) development and support process. Functional leads must also facilitate a team to design document control procedures that can significantly reduce process cycle time and cost.

What does a lead operator do?

Lead operators are responsible for the direction and supervision of the day-to-day activities in facilities. As machine operators, they control machines and take charge of industrial operations. They handle and move objects, monitor processes, and inspect materials, structures, and equipment. Also, they may serve as mentors for the new production employees concerning occupational health and safety. They must be skilled in safety procedures, heavy equipment, preventive maintenance, and other things related to machine operations.

Functional lead vs lead operator salary

Functional leads and lead operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Functional Lead	Lead Operator
Average salary	$113,422	$88,429
Salary range	Between $85,000 And $149,000	Between $54,000 And $142,000
Highest paying City	Sunnyvale, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Airbnb	Meta
Best paying industry	Retail	Technology

Differences between functional lead and lead operator education

There are a few differences between a functional lead and a lead operator in terms of educational background:

	Functional Lead	Lead Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Functional lead vs lead operator demographics

Here are the differences between functional leads' and lead operators' demographics:

	Functional Lead	Lead Operator
Average age	43	46
Gender ratio	Male, 68.1% Female, 31.9%	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 24.9% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between functional lead and lead operator duties and responsibilities

Functional lead example responsibilities.

Manage the FI project plan and training.
Direct and manage subject matter expert (SME) activity during analysis and content development.
Lead functional staff in planning stage of system migration from client-server architecture to web base environment via ResQSoft conversion tool.
Monitor all prototyping and user acceptance testing.
Work on AppWorx, which is a job scheduling tool integrate with EBS.
Help several financial industry clients in implementation of FAH and core EBS financial modules.

Show more

Lead operator example responsibilities.

Plan, organize, and lead Kaizen activities as well as managed the cost reduction activities from idea to implementation.
Contact potential REO listing brokers achieving the highest return call rate.
Create UAT scripts and utilize statistical process controls to manage loan process quality and ensure consistency.
Achieve goals in various metrics, from sales to plan, payroll, additional services, print center.
Manage and organize incoming records and publications for use on SharePoint.
Need method to proactively manage the business improving cross-functional collaboration & KPI visibility.

Show more

Functional lead vs lead operator skills

Common functional lead skills

ERP, 10%
Client Facing, 7%
Enterprise Solutions, 6%
Gl, 6%
Business Process, 5%
Gap Analysis, 5%

Common lead operator skills

Customer Service, 18%
HR, 10%
Process Improvement, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
Safety Procedures, 4%

Functional Lead vs. similar jobs

Functional Lead related careers

Functional Lead related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse computer and mathematical jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z