Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between manufacturing directors and operations directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a manufacturing director, becoming an operations director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a manufacturing director has an average salary of $147,277, which is higher than the $104,050 average annual salary of an operations director.
The top three skills for a manufacturing director include continuous improvement, supply chain and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for an operations director are customer service, continuous improvement, and oversight.
| Manufacturing Director | Operations Director | |
| Yearly salary | $147,277 | $104,050 |
| Hourly rate | $70.81 | $50.02 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 42,235 | 114,993 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
A manufacturing director is primarily in charge of spearheading and overseeing a company's manufacturing procedures. Their responsibilities revolve around setting goals and objectives, coordinating and managing different departments, planning budgets, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of existing processes, implementing solutions, and developing strategies to optimize manufacturing operations. Furthermore, as a manufacturing director, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
Operations directors oversee all company operations. They have the power to set the direction, change the course of the organization, and reform strategies to ensure efficiency in how the company operates. Operations directors manage business operations effectively by constantly analyzing company data and by anticipating any challenge that may come their way. As such, they make sound business decisions and recommendations that will help strengthen the organization. Operations directors oversee finances, quality control, and even human resources. They ensure that all aspects of the business are considered in making business operations decisions.
Manufacturing directors and operations directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Director | Operations Director | |
| Average salary | $147,277 | $104,050 |
| Salary range | Between $100,000 And $214,000 | Between $65,000 And $164,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Nationwide Children's Hospital | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Finance |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing director and an operations director in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Director | Operations Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between manufacturing directors' and operations directors' demographics:
| Manufacturing Director | Operations Director | |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1% | Male, 70.6% Female, 29.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 69.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 10% |