Production operator lead vs production manager

The differences between production operators lead and production managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a production operator lead and a production manager. Additionally, a production manager has an average salary of $78,064, which is higher than the $46,527 average annual salary of a production operator lead.

The top three skills for a production operator lead include quality checks, production operations and GMP. The most important skills for a production manager are continuous improvement, customer service, and quality standards.

Production operator lead vs production manager overview

	Production Operator Lead	Production Manager
Yearly salary	$46,527	$78,064
Hourly rate	$22.37	$37.53
Growth rate	-	3%
Number of jobs	111,952	95,561
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

Production operator lead vs production manager salary

Production operators lead and production managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Production Operator Lead	Production Manager
Average salary	$46,527	$78,064
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $62,000	Between $50,000 And $120,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Rhode Island
Best paying company	-	Cheniere Energy
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between production operator lead and production manager education

There are a few differences between a production operator lead and a production manager in terms of educational background:

	Production Operator Lead	Production Manager
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Production operator lead vs production manager demographics

Here are the differences between production operators lead' and production managers' demographics:

	Production Operator Lead	Production Manager
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 74.3% Female, 25.7%	Male, 76.6% Female, 23.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 4.7% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 5.1% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between production operator lead and production manager duties and responsibilities

Production operator lead example responsibilities.

Manage employee's schedules, time off requests, vacation and payroll with the KRONOS time management software.
Assist towards a successful FDA audit.
Perform batch record and GMP documentation entries.
Follow company policies and guidelines corresponding to FDA ,
Create work instruction and visual aids for manufacturing in compliance with ISO standards.
Give accurate information to answer questions for co-workers, troubleshoot problems and concerns, and resolve complaints.

Production manager example responsibilities.

Lead a KAIZEN that save 220k in damages.
Manage lean sigma techniques and Kaizen events to reduce raw material and scrap costs.
Hire and manage crew and locations along with renting necessary film equipment and organizing shoot logistics.
Team member in setting up TPM method of measuring production (OEE), helping to achieve record production results.
Manage data reports, analyze and provide data to improve operational performance to include OEE, process reliability and labor optimization.
Manage production control group and supply replenishment logistics for the manufacturing division.

Production operator lead vs production manager skills

Common production operator lead skills

Quality Checks, 11%
Production Operations, 9%
GMP, 9%
Safety Standards, 7%
Production Lines, 6%
Production Floor, 6%

Common production manager skills

Continuous Improvement, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Quality Standards, 6%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Lean Manufacturing, 6%
Production Supervisors, 6%

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Production Operator Lead
Production Operator Lead vs Production Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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