Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between warehouse operations managers and distribution center 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 warehouse operations manager and a distribution center manager. Additionally, a distribution center manager has an average salary of $99,459, which is higher than the $34,871 average annual salary of a warehouse operations manager.
The top three skills for a warehouse operations manager include customer orders, pallets and logistics. The most important skills for a distribution center manager are logistics, customer service, and OSHA.
| Warehouse Operations Manager | Distribution Center Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $34,871 | $99,459 |
| Hourly rate | $16.76 | $47.82 |
| Growth rate | 6% | - |
| Number of jobs | 115,185 | 75,501 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Warehouse Operations Managers oversee the whole operations of a company's warehouse. They are in charge of setting up processes to ensure the efficiency of warehouse operations. They oversee the processes involved in product handling, storage solutions, the shipment of goods, schedule of operations, and delivery of items. Warehouse Operations Managers also handle the layout of the warehouse so that space is properly used. They create forecasts on product volume to ensure that the warehouse is capable of housing the high volume of goods. They continuously review and evaluate warehouse policies, procedures, and systems to ensure that everything is updated and working efficiently.
A distribution center manager is an individual who is responsible for managing all the daily activities of a centralized distribution center, warehouse, or another shipping facility. Distribution center managers are required to supervise the loading and unloading of all packages as well as ensure that all goods and products have the proper storage conditions. They must evaluate freight services and manage relationships with the chose vendors. Distribution center managers are also required to monitor the safety of the facility and make sure that workers properly store everything to prevent injuries.
Warehouse operations managers and distribution center managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Warehouse Operations Manager | Distribution Center Manager | |
| Average salary | $34,871 | $99,459 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $45,000 | Between $70,000 And $141,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fridley, MN | Woodland, CA |
| Highest paying state | Minnesota | California |
| Best paying company | BD | Bed Bath & Beyond |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a warehouse operations manager and a distribution center manager in terms of educational background:
| Warehouse Operations Manager | Distribution Center Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between warehouse operations managers' and distribution center managers' demographics:
| Warehouse Operations Manager | Distribution Center Manager | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.0% Female, 12.0% | Male, 88.4% Female, 11.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 6.1% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.1% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |