Operations officer vs chief of operations

The differences between operations officers and chiefs of operations 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 officer and a chief of operations. Additionally, a chief of operations has an average salary of $124,927, which is higher than the $46,813 average annual salary of an operations officer.

The top three skills for an operations officer include customer service, security operations and logistical support. The most important skills for a chief of operations are oversight, emergency operations, and logistical support.

Operations officer vs chief of operations overview

	Operations Officer	Chief Of Operations
Yearly salary	$46,813	$124,927
Hourly rate	$22.51	$60.06
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	133,025	93,283
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

What does an operations officer do?

An operations officer is responsible for monitoring the staff performance, ensuring the efficiency of their tasks to support the project needs with maximum productivity, and strict compliance with the company's operational policies. Operations officers manage the department's budget, proper allocation of resources, and keeping the operational costs within the budget goals. They also conduct performance reviews, develop strategic procedures for the project's success, and handling the clients' inquiries and concerns. An operations officer must have excellent communication and leadership skills, focusing on client satisfaction while providing the best managerial support for the staff.

What does a chief of operations do?

The chief of operations is responsible for monitoring the overall operational process of a company, maintaining efficient project management, and accurate project deliverables. They contribute to the implementation of corporate decisions, including the development of the company's policies and procedures. They also support the CEO in board meetings to report the business' performance and identify opportunities to increase brand awareness and boost profitability. The chief of operations handles financial transactions of the business, as well as budgeting and allocating resources for each department.

Operations officer vs chief of operations salary

Operations officers and chiefs of operations have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Operations Officer	Chief Of Operations
Average salary	$46,813	$124,927
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $98,000	Between $86,000 And $181,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	Delaware
Best paying company	Baker McKenzie	University of Maryland, Baltimore
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between operations officer and chief of operations education

There are a few differences between an operations officer and a chief of operations in terms of educational background:

	Operations Officer	Chief Of Operations
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Operations officer vs chief of operations demographics

Here are the differences between operations officers' and chiefs of operations' demographics:

	Operations Officer	Chief Of Operations
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0%	Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between operations officer and chief of operations duties and responsibilities

Operations officer example responsibilities.

Lead a detachment of 14 sailors and oversee a $45k operational budget and $3M in equipment.
Manage USAF base grind electronic telecommunications and data center operations.
Manage battalion-level resource allocations to include training facilities, ranges, and ammunition requirements.
Manage portfolio of lean projects initiate to improve nuclear operations support mission inspections and establish executive council to provide oversight.
Manage SharePoint data system for facility safety inspections and inventory tracking; develop organizational plan and access for over 3K personnel.
Manage payroll distribution process ensuring timeliness, accuracy, and confidentiality to protect client's privacy and prevent liability of exposure.

Chief of operations example responsibilities.

Evaluate progress of program plans to determine whether overall command-wide objectives are being accomplish economically with reference to budget and manpower.
Prepare tactical instructions and operational doctrine.
Design security and counterintelligence training and briefings for delivery throughout DHS.
Ensure compliance with federal procedures by leading training and providing PowerPoint presentations.
Select by-name for key intelligence position with world-wide responsibilites supporting combating terrorism.
Draft and disseminate significant activity reports concerning events requiring DIA leadership focus.

Operations officer vs chief of operations skills

Common operations officer skills

Customer Service, 30%
Security Operations, 17%
Logistical Support, 5%
Risk Management, 5%
CI, 4%
PowerPoint, 3%

Common chief of operations skills

Oversight, 13%
Emergency Operations, 9%
Logistical Support, 8%
Human Resources, 6%
Combat, 6%
Technical Assistance, 5%

Operations Officer vs. similar jobs

Operations Officer related careers

Operations Officer related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Operations Officer
Operations Officer vs Chief Of Operations

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs