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The differences between operations associates and contracts specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a contracts specialist has an average salary of $63,727, which is higher than the $52,703 average annual salary of an operations associate.
The top three skills for an operations associate include customer service, sales floor and basic math. The most important skills for a contracts specialist are veterans, DOD, and contract administration.
| Operations Associate | Contracts Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $52,703 | $63,727 |
| Hourly rate | $25.34 | $30.64 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 70,275 | 27,244 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An operations associate is responsible for performing administrative and clerical tasks to support the organization's daily operations. An operations associate must have excellent organizational skills to perform various duties for different business functions under the supervision of an operations manager. Operations associates respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, prepare meeting reports, schedule appointments, assisting on payroll release, update employees' information on the database, process contract agreements, and help the senior management to identify business opportunities that would generate revenues.
A contract specialist is responsible for evaluating contract agreements between the business and its clients. Contract specialists write beneficial deals that would develop good, professional working partnerships. They negotiate terms with clients, analyzing bid offers, review legislation processes and regulations, provide immediate resolution for breach of contracts, manage procurement proposals, and communicate with potential and existing clients for any amendments and clarifications. A contract specialist must have excellent communication and negotiation skills and broad knowledge of legal terminologies and contract styles.
Operations associates and contracts specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Associate | Contracts Specialist | |
| Average salary | $52,703 | $63,727 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $95,000 | Between $40,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Biogen | |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between an operations associate and a contracts specialist in terms of educational background:
| Operations Associate | Contracts Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between operations associates' and contracts specialists' demographics:
| Operations Associate | Contracts Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8% | Male, 40.2% Female, 59.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 Percentage | 11% | 11% |