Laboratory manager vs laboratory director

The differences between laboratory managers and laboratory directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a laboratory manager and a laboratory director. Additionally, a laboratory director has an average salary of $92,971, which is higher than the $74,314 average annual salary of a laboratory manager.

The top three skills for a laboratory manager include lab equipment, patients and customer service. The most important skills for a laboratory director are clinical laboratory, patients, and patient care.

Laboratory manager vs laboratory director overview

	Laboratory Manager	Laboratory Director
Yearly salary	$74,314	$92,971
Hourly rate	$35.73	$44.70
Growth rate	3%	28%
Number of jobs	43,321	59,500
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	48	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a laboratory manager do?

Laboratory managers provide accurate laboratory diagnosis through evaluating specimen procedures and coordinating with pathologists to validate laboratory findings. They are responsible for maintaining laboratory tools and equipment, ensuring the proper sterilization of instruments before and after use, organizing equipment based on its function, and immediately repairing or replacing defective items. A laboratory manager also secures the confidentiality of laboratory systems, keeping records of results, and releasing information to the appropriate personnel. Laboratory managers must have a broad knowledge of the scientific industry, as well as excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills.

What does a laboratory director do?

A Laboratory Director is responsible for the overall operation and administration of the laboratory. They examine data, create reports, manage the staff, and ensure that the lab facility operates in accordance with the regulatory provisions of the government and the organization.

Laboratory manager vs laboratory director salary

Laboratory managers and laboratory directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Laboratory Manager	Laboratory Director
Average salary	$74,314	$92,971
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $111,000	Between $55,000 And $156,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Delaware
Best paying company	Meta	Reed Smith
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Media

Differences between laboratory manager and laboratory director education

There are a few differences between a laboratory manager and a laboratory director in terms of educational background:

	Laboratory Manager	Laboratory Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Laboratory manager vs laboratory director demographics

Here are the differences between laboratory managers' and laboratory directors' demographics:

	Laboratory Manager	Laboratory Director
Average age	48	47
Gender ratio	Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6%	Male, 55.9% Female, 44.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 8.1% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	12%

Differences between laboratory manager and laboratory director duties and responsibilities

Laboratory manager example responsibilities.

Lead laboratory investigations, OOS, deviations, change controls and CAPA.
Manage daily personnel challenges, assist with marketing and maintain appropriate standards and regulations per JCAHO, DNV.
Manage staff and oversee FDA guidelines and regulations for pharmaceutical research
Initiate and manage successful in-house design and implementation of network base LIMS database.
Manage curriculum development, authore and publish lab manuals in physiology and ecology.
Manage daily laboratory operations including personnel, client consulting, analyses and adherence to GLP protocols.

Laboratory director example responsibilities.

Perform and manage quality control, maintenance and calibration of all equipment in hematology, coagulation and urinalysis.
Set up forensic DNA laboratory, train laboratory technicians in advance molecular techniques, and manage day-to-day activities of forensic DNA laboratory
Consult patients on various laboratory procedures involve in IVF.
Supervise 8 managers and 130 full-time employees (FTEs).
Focus on sterility, endotoxin, water and bioburden testing.
Restore compliance integrity of lab back to full capacity in time for JCAHO inspection.

Laboratory manager vs laboratory director skills

Common laboratory manager skills

Lab Equipment, 12%
Patients, 9%
Customer Service, 7%
Chemistry, 6%
Clinical Laboratory, 5%
Lab Safety, 5%

Common laboratory director skills

Clinical Laboratory, 11%
Patients, 10%
Patient Care, 9%
CLIA, 6%
Test Results, 6%
Laboratory Services, 4%

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Laboratory Manager
Laboratory Manager vs Laboratory Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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