Senior process operator vs production manager

The differences between senior process operators 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 senior process operator and a production manager. Additionally, a production manager has an average salary of $78,064, which is higher than the $37,847 average annual salary of a senior process operator.

The top three skills for a senior process operator include hand tools, safety standards and GMP. The most important skills for a production manager are continuous improvement, customer service, and quality standards.

Senior process operator vs production manager overview

	Senior Process Operator	Production Manager
Yearly salary	$37,847	$78,064
Hourly rate	$18.20	$37.53
Growth rate	-	3%
Number of jobs	51,114	95,561
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

Senior process operator vs production manager salary

Senior process operators and production managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Process Operator	Production Manager
Average salary	$37,847	$78,064
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $48,000	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 senior process operator and production manager education

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

	Senior Process Operator	Production Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Senior process operator vs production manager demographics

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

	Senior Process Operator	Production Manager
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3%	Male, 76.6% Female, 23.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 4.4% White, 59.6% 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 senior process operator and production manager duties and responsibilities

Senior process operator example responsibilities.

Manage distillation process to determine product specification compliance, and prepare unit for shutdown or turnaround process.
Follow strict GMP and GLP practices.
Move to the assembly department building electrical panels, installing electrical panels, installing various electrical devices on new centrifuges.
Help developed and revise ISO compliant standard operating procedures for production, maintenance and safety operations.

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.

Senior process operator vs production manager skills

Common senior process operator skills

Hand Tools, 12%
Safety Standards, 11%
GMP, 10%
CIP, 10%
Production Equipment, 6%
Plant Operations, 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
Senior Process Operator
Senior Process Operator vs Production Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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