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Lead operator vs head operator

The differences between lead operators and head operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a lead operator, becoming a head operator takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a head operator has an average salary of $138,787, which is higher than the $88,429 average annual salary of a lead operator.

The top three skills for a lead operator include customer service, HR and process improvement. The most important skills for a head operator are analytics, customer service, and project management.

Lead operator vs head operator overview

Lead OperatorHead Operator
Yearly salary$88,429$138,787
Hourly rate$42.51$66.72
Growth rate7%6%
Number of jobs87,338101,974
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4644
Years of experience26

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.

What does a head operator do?

A head operator performs varied duties and responsibilities for an organization. These include striving to achieve the highest safety level with company safety policies and procedures, implementing new CRM platforms for various agents and channels, examining and monitoring the use of the new CRM, and overseeing business case analysis. As the head operator, you are responsible for restructuring the duties and responsibilities within logistics, service, and inventory control. You are also responsible for reducing business risk by developing and enforcing tighter security for network infrastructure.

Lead operator vs head operator salary

Lead operators and head operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Lead OperatorHead Operator
Average salary$88,429$138,787
Salary rangeBetween $54,000 And $142,000Between $79,000 And $243,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAProvidence, RI
Highest paying stateNew JerseyRhode Island
Best paying companyMetaMcKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industryTechnologyFinance

Differences between lead operator and head operator education

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

Lead OperatorHead Operator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Lead operator vs head operator demographics

Here are the differences between lead operators' and head operators' demographics:

Lead OperatorHead Operator
Average age4644
Gender ratioMale, 73.5% Female, 26.5%Male, 78.6% Female, 21.4%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 Percentage6%10%

Differences between lead operator and head operator duties and responsibilities

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

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.
    • Show more

Lead operator vs head operator skills

Common lead operator skills
  • Customer Service, 18%
  • HR, 10%
  • Process Improvement, 6%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Continuous Improvement, 6%
  • Safety Procedures, 4%
Common head operator skills
  • Analytics, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Oversight, 7%
  • Continuous Improvement, 6%
  • KPIs, 6%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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