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The differences between functional 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 functional manager, becoming an operations manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a functional manager has an average salary of $113,849, which is higher than the $76,894 average annual salary of an operations manager.
The top three skills for a functional manager include professional development, customer service and ERP. The most important skills for an operations manager are customer service, logistics, and continuous improvement.
| Functional Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $113,849 | $76,894 |
| Hourly rate | $54.74 | $36.97 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 48,500 | 343,868 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 6 |
A functional manager handles resources in a certain department like IT, engineering, PR, or marketing. Generally, they direct the technical work of employees from that functional part who are working on the project. They share responsibility with the project manager for directing the work of employees. They assign specific employees to the team and discuss with the project manager regarding resources to improved staff utilization. In addition, they also participate in the initial planning until activities are assigned and recommend possible changes to the project, including corrective actions.
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.
Functional managers and operations managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Functional Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Average salary | $113,849 | $76,894 |
| Salary range | Between $88,000 And $146,000 | Between $47,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Apple | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a functional manager and an operations manager in terms of educational background:
| Functional Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between functional managers' and operations managers' demographics:
| Functional Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8% | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 11% | 10% |