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Senior manager vs general manager

The differences between senior managers and general 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 manager and a general manager. Additionally, a senior manager has an average salary of $118,906, which is higher than the $71,581 average annual salary of a general manager.

The top three skills for a senior manager include analytics, project management and portfolio. The most important skills for a general manager are customer service, cleanliness, and food safety.

Senior manager vs general manager overview

Senior ManagerGeneral Manager
Yearly salary$118,906$71,581
Hourly rate$57.17$34.41
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs372,801442,690
Job satisfaction-4.25
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age4444
Years of experience66

What does a senior manager do?

A senior manager is responsible for directing the overall efficiency of business operations. Senior managers monitor the performance of the staff, improve operational strategies, identify business opportunities, allocate budgets and resources, present reports to senior management, set goals to drive results on increasing the company's revenues and profitability. Senior managers must coordinate with various operations departments to maintain good feedback for the company, meeting client's expectations, and delivering the best results. They should have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle team members, as well as managing their needs and concerns.

What does a general manager do?

A general manager is responsible for handling the overall operations in the business. General managers manage the staff tasks efficiently, monitor the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, implement new strategies to improve the business performance, recognize the team's best efforts, and effective allocation of budget resources. A general manager must have excellent communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills to identify areas of improvement in handling customer complaints, connecting with vendors and other lines of businesses that will direct the company towards its successful objectives.

Senior manager vs general manager salary

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

Senior ManagerGeneral Manager
Average salary$118,906$71,581
Salary rangeBetween $86,000 And $163,000Between $40,000 And $126,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyHawaii
Best paying companyCornerstone ResearchNVIDIA
Best paying industryProfessionalManufacturing

Differences between senior manager and general manager education

There are a few differences between a senior manager and a general manager in terms of educational background:

Senior ManagerGeneral Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Senior manager vs general manager demographics

Here are the differences between senior managers' and general managers' demographics:

Senior ManagerGeneral Manager
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 67.5% Female, 32.5%Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%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 Percentage10%10%

Differences between senior manager and general manager duties and responsibilities

Senior manager example responsibilities.

  • Lead ISO project to achieve ISO compliance for the organization.
  • Implement a PeopleSoft Financials system and lead the integration team.
  • Manage the VMS, UNIX and NT operating systems and hardware.
  • Manage multiple trading application development and integration projects for TT's API customers.
  • Work with internal and external audit to manage SOX controls testing, compliance issues and corrective actions.
  • Coordinate and manage the monthly and quarterly close process, including quarterly check list for SOX compliance.
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General manager example responsibilities.

  • Generate positive EBITDA and improve cash flow by managing costs and inventory.
  • Manage all recruiting and training efforts, and develop systems to track ROI comparison results.
  • Work as a FOH AGM and train to manage all staff functions including training, hiring, food and labor controls.
  • Develop yearly budget for multiple hotels that include revenue, labor, fix and variable costs to achieve overall EBITDA goal.
  • Task primarily with building logistics infrastructure, managing operational expenses, and supporting start up strategies.
  • Train and manage FOH staff and improve overall quality, organization and professionalism of restaurant and bakery.
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Senior manager vs general manager skills

Common senior manager skills
  • Analytics, 9%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Portfolio, 5%
  • Business Development, 4%
  • Professional Development, 4%
  • Healthcare, 3%
Common general manager skills
  • Customer Service, 20%
  • Cleanliness, 18%
  • Food Safety, 7%
  • Guest Service, 4%
  • Payroll, 4%
  • Math, 4%

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