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The differences between plant managers and lead managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a plant manager and a lead manager. Additionally, a plant manager has an average salary of $113,843, which is higher than the $101,883 average annual salary of a lead manager.
The top three skills for a plant manager include continuous improvement, customer service and safety program. The most important skills for a lead manager are safety procedures, sales floor, and gross margin.
| Plant Manager | Lead Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $113,843 | $101,883 |
| Hourly rate | $54.73 | $48.98 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 275,962 | 385,395 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
In general, plant managers are responsible for the entire operations in a manufacturing plant. Plant managers plan, direct, organize, and run the optimum operations of the plant daily. They create and execute organizational or departmental goals procedures, and policies. They aim to increase the manufacturing production and the capacity and flexibility of its assets while keeping its current quality standards and unnecessary costs. They are expected to have a better understanding of the manufacturing industry like equipment use and mechanical aptitude.
A lead manager is primarily in charge of overseeing the progress of a particular office or department. Although the responsibilities will vary depending on their industry, it will typically revolve around producing progress reports, reviewing documentation and transactions, managing the budget, procuring supplies, and devising strategies to generate leads and reach goals faster. Furthermore, as a lead manager, it is essential to spearhead projects and encourage staff, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Plant managers and lead managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Plant Manager | Lead Manager | |
| Average salary | $113,843 | $101,883 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $152,000 | Between $73,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Koch Industries | Trulia |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Retail |
There are a few differences between a plant manager and a lead manager in terms of educational background:
| Plant Manager | Lead Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between plant managers' and lead managers' demographics:
| Plant Manager | Lead Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3% | Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% 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% |