Header set-up operator vs head operator

The differences between header set-up operators and head operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a head operator has an average salary of $138,787, which is higher than the $35,764 average annual salary of a header set-up operator.

The top three skills for a header set-up operator include calipers, SPC and comparators. The most important skills for a head operator are analytics, customer service, and project management.

Header set-up operator vs head operator overview

	Header Set-Up Operator	Head Operator
Yearly salary	$35,764	$138,787
Hourly rate	$17.19	$66.72
Growth rate	-5%	6%
Number of jobs	27,599	101,974
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	43	44
Years of experience	-	6

Header set-up operator vs head operator salary

Header set-up operators and head operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Header Set-Up Operator	Head Operator
Average salary	$35,764	$138,787
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $45,000	Between $79,000 And $243,000
Highest paying City	-	Providence, RI
Highest paying state	-	Rhode Island
Best paying company	-	McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between header set-up operator and head operator education

There are a few differences between a header set-up operator and a head operator in terms of educational background:

	Header Set-Up Operator	Head Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Header set-up operator vs head operator demographics

Here are the differences between header set-up operators' and head operators' demographics:

	Header Set-Up Operator	Head Operator
Average age	43	44
Gender ratio	Male, 88.5% Female, 11.5%	Male, 78.6% Female, 21.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 2.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	3%	10%

Differences between header set-up operator and head operator duties and responsibilities

Header set-up operator example responsibilities.

Experience with SPC; measuring every dimension in print.
Work with internal, external, and bore grinders.
Enter quality check results into the computer matching them up to SPC charts.
Perform quality control inspection using calipers/gauges/micrometers and digital comparators.
Experience with AutoCAD, NVivo research software, RSLogix5000 for PLC programming.

Head operator example responsibilities.

Manage all social media outlets (Facebook.
Lead the road-map to SaaS offering and implement DevOps.
Manage technology build out of new office space and data center facilities for Americas.
Manage all purchase orders, inventory, A/P, A/R, payroll, and all credit card forms.
Manage all security and compliance relate items including SOX, HIPAA, internal controls, and FDA validation requirements.
Design and implement disaster recovery in the cloud and manage routine maintenance of the cloud environment and business relationship.

Header set-up operator vs head operator skills

Common header set-up operator skills

Calipers, 80%
SPC, 7%
Comparators, 4%
Quality Checks, 3%
Formax, 2%
Blueprint Specs, 2%

Common head operator skills

Analytics, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Project Management, 7%
Oversight, 7%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
KPIs, 6%