Machine shop manager vs lead operator

The differences between machine shop managers and lead operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a machine shop manager and a lead operator. Additionally, a lead operator has an average salary of $88,429, which is higher than the $71,738 average annual salary of a machine shop manager.

The top three skills for a machine shop manager include cnc machines, lean manufacturing and grinders. The most important skills for a lead operator are customer service, HR, and process improvement.

Machine shop manager vs lead operator overview

	Machine Shop Manager	Lead Operator
Yearly salary	$71,738	$88,429
Hourly rate	$34.49	$42.51
Growth rate	-	7%
Number of jobs	43,319	87,338
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

Machine shop manager vs lead operator salary

Machine shop managers and lead operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Machine Shop Manager	Lead Operator
Average salary	$71,738	$88,429
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $108,000	Between $54,000 And $142,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between machine shop manager and lead operator education

There are a few differences between a machine shop manager and a lead operator in terms of educational background:

	Machine Shop Manager	Lead Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Machine shop manager vs lead operator demographics

Here are the differences between machine shop managers' and lead operators' demographics:

	Machine Shop Manager	Lead Operator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 97.3% Female, 2.7%	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 5.3% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black 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%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between machine shop manager and lead operator duties and responsibilities

Machine shop manager example responsibilities.

Manage daily operations of precision machining facility that produces components for the medical and aerospace industry.
Purchase several million dollars of CNC equipment.
Design jigs and fixtures for machine and fabrication.
Design fixtures, jigs, and gears for clutch plates.
Handle internal corrective actions to ensure ISO compliance and reduce scrap issues.
Design and implement procedures in both departments to bring them into ISO regulatory compliance.

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.

Machine shop manager vs lead operator skills

Common machine shop manager skills

CNC Machines, 14%
Lean Manufacturing, 8%
Grinders, 5%
Machine Tools, 5%
Cad Cam, 5%
Solidworks, 4%

Common lead operator skills

Customer Service, 18%
HR, 10%
Process Improvement, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
Safety Procedures, 4%