Plant control operator vs plant controller

The differences between plant control operators and plant controllers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a plant controller has an average salary of $99,550, which is higher than the $49,393 average annual salary of a plant control operator.

The top three skills for a plant control operator include control room, plant operations and financial analysis. The most important skills for a plant controller are internal controls, GAAP, and plant management.

Plant control operator vs plant controller overview

	Plant Control Operator	Plant Controller
Yearly salary	$49,393	$99,550
Hourly rate	$23.75	$47.86
Growth rate	-15%	17%
Number of jobs	64,591	47,555
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	8

Plant control operator vs plant controller salary

Plant control operators and plant controllers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plant Control Operator	Plant Controller
Average salary	$49,393	$99,550
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $66,000	Between $72,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City	-	Reno, NV
Highest paying state	-	Nevada
Best paying company	-	Arkema
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between plant control operator and plant controller education

There are a few differences between a plant control operator and a plant controller in terms of educational background:

	Plant Control Operator	Plant Controller
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Plant control operator vs plant controller demographics

Here are the differences between plant control operators' and plant controllers' demographics:

	Plant Control Operator	Plant Controller
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 86.0% Female, 14.0%	Male, 75.9% Female, 24.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 1.5% White, 77.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 7.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	5%	11%

Differences between plant control operator and plant controller duties and responsibilities

Plant control operator example responsibilities.

Coordinate and manage annual physical inventory as well as inventory valuation in accordance with Canadian GAAP.
Implement Sarbanes-Oxley compliance with no significant gaps.
Administer compliance of Sarbanes-Oxley requirements at plant level.
Lead operations finance team to ensure timely and accurate financial reporting and costing consistent with internal policy and SOX requirements.
Lead operations finance team to ensure timely and accurate financial reporting and costing consistent with internal policy and SOX requirements.

Plant controller example responsibilities.

Manage and correct balance sheet issues including property taxes, miscellaneous accruals, inventories, and capital work- in-progress accounts.
Implement Sarbanes-Oxley internal control policy and procedures which lead to successful annual internal and external audits.
Manage general accounting functions, including monthly financial statements and audit reports, and monthly account reconciliations.
Manage monthly closing process including, account reconciliations, account analysis, preparation of monthly financial statements and other management reports.
Participate in the implementation of an ERP system that accomplish key strategic initiatives including job costing and a perpetual inventory system.
SAP (at the plant level) and Hyperion (at the corporate level) are used in financial reporting.

Plant control operator vs plant controller skills

Common plant control operator skills

Control Room, 19%
Plant Operations, 14%
Financial Analysis, 9%
Financial Performance, 7%
ERP, 6%
Gas Plant, 5%

Common plant controller skills

Internal Controls, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Plant Management, 5%
Continuous Improvement, 5%
Reconciliations, 4%
Financial Analysis, 4%

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Plant Control Operator
Plant Control Operator vs Plant Controller

Updated January 8, 2025

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