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The differences between operations managers and operations support managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an operations manager and an operations support manager. Additionally, an operations support manager has an average salary of $79,730, 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 an operations support manager are customer service, project management, and human resources.
| Operations Manager | Operations Support Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $76,894 | $79,730 |
| Hourly rate | $36.97 | $38.33 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 343,868 | 376,894 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 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.
Operations Support Managers are employees who handle different support initiatives for the employees or operations-related departments. These support initiatives may come in people management and upskilling, IT infrastructure assistance, or process improvement, among others. Operations Support Managers must have a deep understanding of company operations and the employees' needs. They manage processes and standards to ensure that company operations are fully supported and will not be disrupted. They resolve concerns and anticipate problems that may come. They can plan and create safeguards to ensure that such problems will not arise in the future.
Operations managers and operations support managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Manager | Operations Support Manager | |
| Average salary | $76,894 | $79,730 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $123,000 | Between $47,000 And $133,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | California |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an operations manager and an operations support manager in terms of educational background:
| Operations Manager | Operations Support Manager | |
| 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 operations support managers' demographics:
| Operations Manager | Operations Support Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% | Male, 64.8% Female, 35.2% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |