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Operations agent vs contractor/consultant

The differences between operations agents and contractor/consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a contractor/consultant has an average salary of $84,811, which is higher than the $40,735 average annual salary of an operations agent.

The top three skills for an operations agent include logistics, data entry and FAA. The most important skills for a contractor/consultant are healthcare, post implementation, and data analysis.

Operations agent vs contractor/consultant overview

Operations AgentContractor/Consultant
Yearly salary$40,735$84,811
Hourly rate$19.58$40.77
Growth rate6%11%
Number of jobs90,03864,573
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4444
Years of experience--

What does an operations agent do?

Airline operations agents are in charge of organizing airline operations, arranging boarding and descending tasks, and maintaining schedules and passengers. They must also provide excellent customer service most of the time, assist in unexpected conditions, and answer inquiries. Also, they are responsible for communicating routinely with transmittal to organize arrivals and departures and must abide by all protocols for boarding and check the precision of documentation. Additionally, they control ground security, interface with radio equipment, evaluate weather conditions, and delay or cancel flights if needed. Candidates for the job must have strong interpersonal skills to work well with clients and staff as well as able to multitask since they work in fast-paced surroundings and on distinct projects at the same time.

What does a contractor/consultant do?

A contractor is a self-employed businessperson who agrees to work for a fixed price. His/her job involves the evaluation of clients' needs and actual performance of work. On the other hand, a consultant is a skilled independent businessperson who provides expert teaching and training in a specific market by assisting existing staff for the improvement of operations, problem-solving, and development of strategies. His/her role is to assess clients' needs and provide expert advice and opinion. However, both individuals are not employees, since they came from outside of the organization to perform such services.

Operations agent vs contractor/consultant salary

Operations agents and contractor/consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Operations AgentContractor/Consultant
Average salary$40,735$84,811
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $54,000Between $58,000 And $123,000
Highest paying CityBaltimore, MDBoston, MA
Highest paying stateMarylandNew Jersey
Best paying companyElancoCerner
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between operations agent and contractor/consultant education

There are a few differences between an operations agent and a contractor/consultant in terms of educational background:

Operations AgentContractor/Consultant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college-Western Carolina University

Operations agent vs contractor/consultant demographics

Here are the differences between operations agents' and contractor/consultants' demographics:

Operations AgentContractor/Consultant
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 57.3% Female, 42.7%Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between operations agent and contractor/consultant duties and responsibilities

Operations agent example responsibilities.

  • Manage and run both offices of the Connecticut branch of TWIC.
  • Manage LTL and FCL trucking scheduling, vendor invoice approvals and all DG shipments.
  • Integrate logistics principles into supply chain solutions to resolve customer issues and achieve customer satisfaction.
  • Manage corporate travel arrangements for executive and VIP clients and organize travel billing for corporate accounts.
  • Track freight shipments on SWA dedicate system.
  • Maintain up to date with all TSA requirements.
  • Show more

Contractor/consultant example responsibilities.

  • Manage design and development of cloud-base billing application for streamlining payroll and invoicing, as well as offering real-time business analytics.
  • Assist PMO in defining project scope, task and budget, collaborating closely with developers.
  • Bill and provide appropriate documentation to submit reimbursement for services to appropriate insurance to include Medicaid, Medicare, etc.
  • Motivate and ensure SME team member engagement in projects.
  • Provide Linux server setup, documentation, and internal support.
  • Develop and implement SQL store procedures and DTS packages to process client billing data.
  • Show more

Operations agent vs contractor/consultant skills

Common operations agent skills
  • Logistics, 15%
  • Data Entry, 13%
  • FAA, 6%
  • Windows, 5%
  • Computer System, 5%
  • Math, 5%
Common contractor/consultant skills
  • Healthcare, 30%
  • Post Implementation, 25%
  • Data Analysis, 7%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • Financial Statements, 3%
  • Medicaid, 3%

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