Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between lead associates and department managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a lead associate and a department manager. Additionally, a department manager has an average salary of $67,160, which is higher than the $54,903 average annual salary of a lead associate.
The top three skills for a lead associate include PET, leadership and POS. The most important skills for a department manager are inventory management, sales promotions, and cleanliness.
| Lead Associate | Department Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $54,903 | $67,160 |
| Hourly rate | $26.40 | $32.29 |
| Growth rate | - | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 188,353 | 330,327 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The duties of a lead associate depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In a retail setting, their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify new business opportunities, devising strategies to optimize sales, and reaching out to clients through calls and correspondence. A lead associate may offer products and services to potential clients, answer inquiries, conduct demonstrations, process payments, arrange billing plans, and perform follow-up calls. Furthermore, they may also handle issues and concerns, resolving them in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
Department managers oversee the operations of the department they are assigned to. They manage all aspects of the operation, including finance, sales, quality control, and human resources. They set department goals and the steps the team needs to take to ensure that the goals are met. Department managers are also in charge of training team members so that these team members will be able to work together harmoniously. They should also be able to keep the team's goal in sight and adjust their strategy as needed.
Lead associates and department managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Associate | Department Manager | |
| Average salary | $54,903 | $67,160 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $117,000 | Between $39,000 And $115,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Ralph Lauren |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a lead associate and a department manager in terms of educational background:
| Lead Associate | Department Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi |
Here are the differences between lead associates' and department managers' demographics:
| Lead Associate | Department Manager | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2% | Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |