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The differences between technical managers and operations managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a technical manager, becoming an operations manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a technical manager has an average salary of $116,619, which is higher than the $76,894 average annual salary of an operations manager.
The top three skills for a technical manager include project management, infrastructure and architecture. The most important skills for an operations manager are customer service, logistics, and continuous improvement.
| Technical Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $116,619 | $76,894 |
| Hourly rate | $56.07 | $36.97 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 116,732 | 343,868 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
A technical manager is responsible for maintaining the company's information systems database and analyzing technology system matters to ensure its efficiency and accuracy in supporting business operations. Technical managers perform network checks regularly to assess any possible malfunctions that might compromise the company's cybersecurity. They carefully analyze business and clients' specifications on working with systems integration, responding to end-users' concerns and inquiries. A technical manager must have excellent knowledge of the information technology systems industry, as well as a strong command on network codes to conduct adjustments and manage network infrastructure.
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.
Technical managers and operations managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Average salary | $116,619 | $76,894 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $161,000 | Between $47,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Delaware |
| Best paying company | A.T. Kearney | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical manager and an operations manager in terms of educational background:
| Technical Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between technical managers' and operations managers' demographics:
| Technical Manager | Operations Manager | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 14% | 10% |