Line managers have responsibility for directly managing individual employees or teams. In turn, they report to a higher level of management on the performance and well-being of the employees or teams they manage.
The term ‘front-line managers’ is more specific and normally refers to line managers in the lower layers of the management hierarchy (for example, team leader, supervisor roles) – that is, where they only manage employees who have no supervisory responsibilities, and not other managers. Front-line managers are often promoted from within and are unlikely to have formal management education.