Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between operations managers and production 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 manager, becoming a production manager takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a production manager has an average salary of $78,064, 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 production manager are continuous improvement, customer service, and quality standards.
| Operations Manager | Production Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $76,894 | $78,064 |
| Hourly rate | $36.97 | $37.53 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 343,868 | 95,561 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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.
Production managers work in show business, whether in film, television shows, or theatre productions. They oversee the whole production and ensure that all agreements are met. They manage finances and budget allocation. They oversee the design of costumes and sets. They also manage the timeline of filming and ensure that the production or filming will finish within the agreed timeline. Production managers also ensure that all stakeholders are satisfied. They build meaningful working relationships with everyone involved, from directors to actors to crew members. They try to mitigate any potential challenges in the production budget and schedule.
Operations managers and production managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Manager | Production Manager | |
| Average salary | $76,894 | $78,064 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $123,000 | Between $50,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an operations manager and a production manager in terms of educational background:
| Operations Manager | Production Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between operations managers' and production managers' demographics:
| Operations Manager | Production Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| 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, 11.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 5.1% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |