Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between operations managers and chief operating officers 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 manager, becoming a chief operating officer takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a chief operating officer has an average salary of $136,604, which is higher than the $76,894 average annual salary of an operations manager.
The top three skills for an operations manager include customer service, logistics and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a chief operating officer are healthcare, customer service, and oversight.
| Operations Manager | Chief Operating Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $76,894 | $136,604 |
| Hourly rate | $36.97 | $65.67 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 343,868 | 128,993 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 52 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
Operations managers are in charge of running the main business of the organization. They ensure that the business is running smoothly from an operations standpoint. They make sure that the processes in place produce the necessary output by implementing quality control measures. They also manage finances and ensure that there is enough budget to keep the operations of the business running. They also ensure that the production of goods or services is cost-efficient. Operations managers also handle people-related concerns. They are responsible for interviewing candidates, choosing the ones to hire, and ensuring that individuals assigned to operations are properly trained.
A chief operating officer, also known as a COO, is a high-ranking official who oversees a company or organization's daily administrative and overall operations. They are typically the second in the chain of command, reporting directly to the company's chief executive officer, also known as a CEO. Among their duties include developing strategies and guidelines, reviewing reports, performing assessments, and implementing the company's policies, standards, and regulations. Additionally, they lead and empower staff to reach goals, helping solve issues and concerns when any arise.
Operations managers and chief operating officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Manager | Chief Operating Officer | |
| Average salary | $76,894 | $136,604 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $123,000 | Between $81,000 And $229,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Baker McKenzie |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an operations manager and a chief operating officer in terms of educational background:
| Operations Manager | Chief Operating Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between operations managers' and chief operating officers' demographics:
| Operations Manager | Chief Operating Officer | |
| Average age | 44 | 52 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% | Male, 76.6% Female, 23.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 12% |