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The differences between operations research managers and research directors 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 research manager and a research director. Additionally, a research director has an average salary of $108,875, which is higher than the $74,064 average annual salary of an operations research manager.
The top three skills for an operations research manager include research operations, research projects and project management. The most important skills for a research director are research projects, data collection, and healthcare.
| Operations Research Manager | Research Director | |
| Yearly salary | $74,064 | $108,875 |
| Hourly rate | $35.61 | $52.34 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 291,083 | 51,298 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 44 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An operations research analysis manager is a key leader in an organization who oversees the collection and analysis of operations data, analyzes the information for deficiencies, and makes recommendations to improve. With a team of operations research analysts, the operations research analysis manager identifies inefficiencies in an operation and offers solutions to eliminate the inefficiencies detected. Operations research analysis managers provide leadership and strategy in the operations research department to help realize better efficiency.
Research Directors oversee the research initiatives of the company. They are usually deployed in the academe, research facilities, or companies with research and development departments. They set research goals aligned with the company's vision. They also ensure that all research activities are significant and would have an impact. They usually aim to complete research work that would contribute to the advancement of their field. Research Directors provide strategic direction on how to complete their research goals. They guide their team of researchers to work more efficiently and more productively. They also lead the team in networking activities.
Operations research managers and research directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Research Manager | Research Director | |
| Average salary | $74,064 | $108,875 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $132,000 | Between $68,000 And $171,000 |
| Highest paying City | Stamford, CT | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Washington |
| Best paying company | Mayo Clinic | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Technology |
There are a few differences between an operations research manager and a research director in terms of educational background:
| Operations Research Manager | Research Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between operations research managers' and research directors' demographics:
| Operations Research Manager | Research Director | |
| Average age | 44 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.3% Female, 41.7% | Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 12.5% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |