Project manager vs operations project manager

The differences between project managers and operations project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project manager has an average salary of $91,578, which is higher than the $90,352 average annual salary of an operations project manager.

The top three skills for a project manager include project management, project scope and customer service. The most important skills for an operations project manager are project management, business operations, and risk management.

Project manager vs operations project manager overview

	Project Manager	Operations Project Manager
Yearly salary	$91,578	$90,352
Hourly rate	$44.03	$43.44
Growth rate	8%	6%
Number of jobs	167,116	210,582
Job satisfaction	4.17	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	47	44
Years of experience	-	6

What does a project manager do?

Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.

What does an operations project manager do?

An operations project manager is responsible for monitoring the performance of the project team, ensuring that the operations meet the clients' standards and internal regulations with maximum productivity and efficiency. Operations project managers manage the department's budget and allocate materials and resources accurately, maintaining a record of expenses and costs forecasting. They coordinate with the clients, discussing project adjustments or additional tasks as needed, and lead project execution and deliverables by determining the team's needs and concerns, and enforcing strategic procedures.

Project manager vs operations project manager salary

Project managers and operations project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Project Manager	Operations Project Manager
Average salary	$91,578	$90,352
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $129,000	Between $66,000 And $122,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Connecticut
Best paying company	The Citadel	Meta
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between project manager and operations project manager education

There are a few differences between a project manager and an operations project manager in terms of educational background:

	Project Manager	Operations Project Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Project manager vs operations project manager demographics

Here are the differences between project managers' and operations project managers' demographics:

	Project Manager	Operations Project Manager
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1%	Male, 68.7% Female, 31.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between project manager and operations project manager duties and responsibilities

Project manager example responsibilities.

Schedule and manage the GCP audit process.
Define, develop and manage metrics and KPIs systems for new product business group.
Manage the application process for the FDA medical device, minority and small business certifications.
Manage multiple projects and resources simultaneously while mentoring, coaching and implementing best practices, SOX and HIPAA compliance standards.
Lead teams using the Informatica ETL tool for the design and development of multiple financial and risk enterprise data warehouses.
Administer and manage Salesforce requirements.

Operations project manager example responsibilities.

Manage resource allocation to help maximize ROI and focus on the division's strategy.
Manage operational programs that include the introduction and preparation for the manufacture of new products, design enhancements and OEM deviations.
Manage elaborate software implementation projects relate to national convenience store/gas station point of sale (POS) technology.
Manage payroll distribution process ensuring timeliness, accuracy, and confidentiality to protect client's privacy and prevent liability of exposure.
Reduce emergency department length of stay: participants reduce time to admit patients by 90 minutes.
Assist with providing best practices for the PMO base on previous positions that include PMO set up and interaction.

Project manager vs operations project manager skills

Common project manager skills

Project Management, 23%
Project Scope, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
Infrastructure, 5%
Status Reports, 4%
Risk Management, 3%

Common operations project manager skills

Project Management, 20%
Business Operations, 6%
Risk Management, 5%
Process Improvement, 4%
Business Process, 4%
Provide Management, 4%

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Project Manager vs Operations Project Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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