Senior director, operations vs operations manager

The differences between senior directors, operations and operations 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 senior director, operations and an operations manager. Additionally, a senior director, operations has an average salary of $149,771, which is higher than the $76,894 average annual salary of an operations manager.

The top three skills for a senior director, operations include customer service, oversight and continuous improvement. The most important skills for an operations manager are customer service, logistics, and continuous improvement.

Senior director, operations vs operations manager overview

	Senior Director, Operations	Operations Manager
Yearly salary	$149,771	$76,894
Hourly rate	$72.01	$36.97
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	120,499	343,868
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

What does a senior director, operations do?

The senior director of operations generally works with other managers to set goals for the future of the company and evaluates performance to check whether certain goals are achieved. They are responsible for making sure that operational processes are within the prescribed budget and timeline. Also, they oversee, implement, and evaluate operation processes and procedures to see if they comply with the set standards and procedures of the company. Additionally, they lead in developing strategies and implementation plans to enhance and standardize all units of operations.

What does an operations manager do?

Operations managers are in charge of running the main business of the organization. They ensure that the business is running smoothly from an operations standpoint. They make sure that the processes in place produce the necessary output by implementing quality control measures. They also manage finances and ensure that there is enough budget to keep the operations of the business running. They also ensure that the production of goods or services is cost-efficient. Operations managers also handle people-related concerns. They are responsible for interviewing candidates, choosing the ones to hire, and ensuring that individuals assigned to operations are properly trained.

Senior director, operations vs operations manager salary

Senior directors, operations and operations managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Director, Operations	Operations Manager
Average salary	$149,771	$76,894
Salary range	Between $103,000 And $216,000	Between $47,000 And $123,000
Highest paying City	Olympia, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Delaware
Best paying company	Genentech	McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Technology

Differences between senior director, operations and operations manager education

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

	Senior Director, Operations	Operations Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Senior director, operations vs operations manager demographics

Here are the differences between senior directors, operations' and operations managers' demographics:

	Senior Director, Operations	Operations Manager
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 75.7% Female, 24.3%	Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 6.3% 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 senior director, operations and operations manager duties and responsibilities

Senior director, operations example responsibilities.

Design and manage systems and processes to deliver consistent, scalable and compliant with SOX and other regulations.
Manage PMO with responsibility for performance management, resource and portfolio management.
Manage new product co-development program with a major medical device company that enable remote surgical oversight and support.
Finance and billing accountability across Medicaid, manage care commercial insurance, insurance verification, contract management, and benefits administration.
Introduce KPIs to raise performance in business development, supply chain, and CRM - aligning CRM with long-term strategy.
Steer RapidApp, a mid-size mobile SaaS platform, through the acquisition process.

Operations manager example responsibilities.

Manage and lead operations that include performance management, organizational development, employment compliance, employee relations, payroll management.
Manage 2HVAC system retrofit replacement teams.
Manage all invoices, A/P, A/R and other accounting duties.
Manage computer operation teams supporting propriety and DoD programs at the Lewisville site.
Manage 45 person division and day to day operations of scheduling, communications, A/R, A/P and customer care.
Manage the export booking and documentation department ensuring smooth on-time delivery.

Senior director, operations vs operations manager skills

Common senior director, operations skills

Customer Service, 8%
Oversight, 7%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
SR, 6%
Project Management, 5%
Process Improvement, 4%

Common operations manager skills

Customer Service, 23%
Logistics, 7%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
Payroll, 5%
Project Management, 4%
Process Improvement, 4%

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Senior Director, Operations
Senior Director, Operations vs Operations Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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