Pharmaceutical operator vs manufacturing operator

The differences between pharmaceutical operators and manufacturing operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pharmaceutical operator has an average salary of $38,260, which is higher than the $34,457 average annual salary of a manufacturing operator.

The top three skills for a pharmaceutical operator include FDA, GMP and safety procedures. The most important skills for a manufacturing operator are basic math, GMP, and math.

Pharmaceutical operator vs manufacturing operator overview

	Pharmaceutical Operator	Manufacturing Operator
Yearly salary	$38,260	$34,457
Hourly rate	$18.39	$16.57
Growth rate	-	2%
Number of jobs	54,270	97,656
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	44	46
Years of experience	-	2

Pharmaceutical operator vs manufacturing operator salary

Pharmaceutical operators and manufacturing operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pharmaceutical Operator	Manufacturing Operator
Average salary	$38,260	$34,457
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $49,000	Between $27,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	Fort Collins, CO
Highest paying state	-	Wyoming
Best paying company	-	DuPont
Best paying industry	-	Pharmaceutical

Differences between pharmaceutical operator and manufacturing operator education

There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical operator and a manufacturing operator in terms of educational background:

	Pharmaceutical Operator	Manufacturing Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Stanford University

Pharmaceutical operator vs manufacturing operator demographics

Here are the differences between pharmaceutical operators' and manufacturing operators' demographics:

	Pharmaceutical Operator	Manufacturing Operator
Average age	44	46
Gender ratio	Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4%	Male, 69.2% Female, 30.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 27.2% Asian, 6.3% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.5% Asian, 4.5% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	5%	6%

Differences between pharmaceutical operator and manufacturing operator duties and responsibilities

Pharmaceutical operator example responsibilities.

Manage the receipt and tracking of control substances as well as the DEA biennial inspection.
Perform a variety of highly skil manufacturing tasks involving the processing of pharmaceutical products in a GMP control facility.
Request QA approvals and releases.
Comply with safety by wearing appropriate PPE.
Partner with in-house workers on PLC issues relate to machinery.
Compress various pharmaceutical granulations into tablets meeting all FDA specifications.

Manufacturing operator example responsibilities.

Manage multiple large volume fermentation tanks simultaneously.
Manage distillation process to determine product specification compliance, and prepare unit for shutdown or turnaround process.
Prepare, coats and finishes metal and/or other surfaces.
Work inside sterile production room, class 10,000 and ISO 9000.
Experience and certify in handling chemicals with proper PPE acid gear.
Follow ISO work instructions to manufacture and convert high quality polishing pads.

Pharmaceutical operator vs manufacturing operator skills

Common pharmaceutical operator skills

FDA, 25%
GMP, 20%
Safety Procedures, 9%
Line Clearance, 6%
Pharmaceutical Products, 6%
QA, 5%

Common manufacturing operator skills

Basic Math, 8%
GMP, 8%
Math, 7%
Hand Tools, 6%
Lean Manufacturing, 5%
Safety Rules, 4%

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Pharmaceutical Operator
Pharmaceutical Operator vs Manufacturing Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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