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The differences between unit managers and operations support 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 unit manager and an operations support manager. Additionally, an operations support manager has an average salary of $79,730, which is higher than the $60,561 average annual salary of a unit manager.
The top three skills for a unit manager include quality care, patients and federal regulations. The most important skills for an operations support manager are customer service, project management, and human resources.
| Unit Manager | Operations Support Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $60,561 | $79,730 |
| Hourly rate | $29.12 | $38.33 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 366,932 | 376,894 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Unit managers are responsible for managing the nursing unit. They primarily supervise the daily care of patients and ensure quality patient care. Usually, they perform tasks like evaluating staff performance, conducting orientation for new staff, and training new members. Also, they manage schedules, minimize expenditures, and enforce health as well as safety regulations. Unit managers are registered nursing professionals with an undergraduate or graduate degree. They are honest, adaptable, and analytical professionals with strong management and leadership skills and relevant experience in nursing and patient assessment.
Operations Support Managers are employees who handle different support initiatives for the employees or operations-related departments. These support initiatives may come in people management and upskilling, IT infrastructure assistance, or process improvement, among others. Operations Support Managers must have a deep understanding of company operations and the employees' needs. They manage processes and standards to ensure that company operations are fully supported and will not be disrupted. They resolve concerns and anticipate problems that may come. They can plan and create safeguards to ensure that such problems will not arise in the future.
Unit managers and operations support managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Unit Manager | Operations Support Manager | |
| Average salary | $60,561 | $79,730 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $96,000 | Between $47,000 And $133,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a unit manager and an operations support manager in terms of educational background:
| Unit Manager | Operations Support Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between unit managers' and operations support managers' demographics:
| Unit Manager | Operations Support Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.4% Female, 57.6% | Male, 64.8% Female, 35.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |