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The differences between operations managers and supervisors 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 supervisor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an operations manager has an average salary of $76,894, which is higher than the $53,902 average annual salary of a supervisor.
The top three skills for an operations manager include customer service, logistics and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a supervisor are customer service, safety procedures, and sales floor.
| Operations Manager | Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $76,894 | $53,902 |
| Hourly rate | $36.97 | $25.91 |
| Growth rate | 6% | - |
| Number of jobs | 343,868 | 224,920 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| 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.
Supervisors are responsible for overseeing the daily functions of employees in a specific team, department, or even a work shift. They create work schedules, organize work processes and workflows, train new hires, provide necessary reports related to the team function and the employees, monitor and evaluate employee performance, and ensure that goals of the specific team or department are met. When needed, supervisors also provide guidance to employees in terms of their career or even personal challenges. They also help in fostering harmonious work relationships by resolving interpersonal conflicts at work. To be successful in their role, they must have leadership skills, time management skills, decision-making capabilities, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills.
Operations managers and supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Manager | Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $76,894 | $53,902 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $123,000 | Between $31,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Alaska |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Reed Smith |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an operations manager and a supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Operations Manager | Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between operations managers' and supervisors' demographics:
| Operations Manager | Supervisor | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% |
| 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, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |