Senior reactor operator vs lead operator

The differences between senior reactor operators and lead operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior reactor operator, becoming a lead operator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a lead operator has an average salary of $88,429, which is higher than the $64,712 average annual salary of a senior reactor operator.

The top three skills for a senior reactor operator include NRC, outage and plant operations. The most important skills for a lead operator are customer service, HR, and process improvement.

Senior reactor operator vs lead operator overview

	Senior Reactor Operator	Lead Operator
Yearly salary	$64,712	$88,429
Hourly rate	$31.11	$42.51
Growth rate	-15%	7%
Number of jobs	28,429	87,338
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	2

Senior reactor operator vs lead operator salary

Senior reactor operators and lead operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Reactor Operator	Lead Operator
Average salary	$64,712	$88,429
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $110,000	Between $54,000 And $142,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between senior reactor operator and lead operator education

There are a few differences between a senior reactor operator and a lead operator in terms of educational background:

	Senior Reactor Operator	Lead Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Mechanical Engineering	Business
Most common college	Georgia Institute of Technology	Stanford University

Senior reactor operator vs lead operator demographics

Here are the differences between senior reactor operators' and lead operators' demographics:

	Senior Reactor Operator	Lead Operator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2%	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 1.5% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	5%	6%

Differences between senior reactor operator and lead operator duties and responsibilities

Senior reactor operator example responsibilities.

Need method to proactively manage the business improving cross-functional collaboration & KPI visibility.
Lead compression shift of twenty-one operators and supporting staff in daily operations of manufacturing generic prescription medications in a GMP setting.
Authore multiple watch station examinations and PowerPoint presentations.

Lead operator example responsibilities.

Plan, organize, and lead Kaizen activities as well as managed the cost reduction activities from idea to implementation.
Contact potential REO listing brokers achieving the highest return call rate.
Create UAT scripts and utilize statistical process controls to manage loan process quality and ensure consistency.
Achieve goals in various metrics, from sales to plan, payroll, additional services, print center.
Manage and organize incoming records and publications for use on SharePoint.
Need method to proactively manage the business improving cross-functional collaboration & KPI visibility.

Senior reactor operator vs lead operator skills

Common senior reactor operator skills

NRC, 17%
Outage, 14%
Plant Operations, 11%
Fluid Flow, 9%
License Class, 8%
Federal Regulations, 8%

Common lead operator skills

Customer Service, 18%
HR, 10%
Process Improvement, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
Safety Procedures, 4%

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Senior Reactor Operator
Senior Reactor Operator vs Lead Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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