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The differences between policy advisors and operations specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a policy advisor has an average salary of $98,220, which is higher than the $54,752 average annual salary of an operations specialist.
The top three skills for a policy advisor include public policy, policy issues and policy development. The most important skills for an operations specialist are customer service, logistics, and basic math.
| Policy Advisor | Operations Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $98,220 | $54,752 |
| Hourly rate | $47.22 | $26.32 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 39,659 | 109,181 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Policy advisors are professionals who are involved in activities related to policymaking while communicating with policy analysts about various issues. These advisors must assist policy analysts in creating policies and look at ways to implement them after they have been approved by upper management or government officials. They must analyze international and foreign policy issues so that they can devise effective advocacy and program strategies. Policy advisors must also attend congressional hearings to propose regulations and changes to existing regulations.
An operations specialist is responsible for optimizing the business' daily operations, ensuring smooth process flow to provide the best services to clients. Operations specialists' duties include analyzing business procedures, identifying opportunities for business improvement, tracking the department's metrics and activities, providing assistance to colleagues, suggesting strategies for operations efficiency, and managing customer's inquiries and complaints. An operations specialist must be an excellent team player and detail-oriented, as well as proven time-management and decision-making skills to meet clients' needs and support the business' objectives.
Policy advisors and operations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Policy Advisor | Operations Specialist | |
| Average salary | $98,220 | $54,752 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $141,000 | Between $35,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | NAIC | Coatue Management |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a policy advisor and an operations specialist in terms of educational background:
| Policy Advisor | Operations Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Political Science | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between policy advisors' and operations specialists' demographics:
| Policy Advisor | Operations Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.7% Female, 40.3% | Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |