Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between operations development managers and product development managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an operations development manager, becoming a product development manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a product development manager has an average salary of $113,437, which is higher than the $106,349 average annual salary of an operations development manager.
The top three skills for an operations development manager include continuous improvement, database and project management. The most important skills for a product development manager are product development, project management, and lifecycle management.
| Operations Development Manager | Product Development Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $106,349 | $113,437 |
| Hourly rate | $51.13 | $54.54 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 298,296 | 166,871 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 10 |
An operations development manager is in charge of overseeing the development projects in a company, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They manage and work closely with development teams, aiming to optimize the daily operations and provide solutions against problem areas. Among their responsibilities include setting goals and guidelines, establishing budgets and schedules, performing research and assessments, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of current operations, and developing strategies to accomplish various tasks. Moreover, as a manager, it is essential to monitor the progress of all functions while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A product development manager spearheads the development of new products within a company. Most of the time, their responsibilities revolve around conducting marketing research and analysis to determine consumers' needs, coordinating with the product development team to come up with new ideas, proposing business plans to the executives, and creating prototypes. A product development manager must also present a cost analysis, produce progress reports, and address inquiries and concerns. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the staff, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Operations development managers and product development managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Development Manager | Product Development Manager | |
| Average salary | $106,349 | $113,437 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $152,000 | Between $84,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Media | Retail |
There are a few differences between an operations development manager and a product development manager in terms of educational background:
| Operations Development Manager | Product Development Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between operations development managers' and product development managers' demographics:
| Operations Development Manager | Product Development Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.9% Female, 34.1% | Male, 62.2% Female, 37.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |