How to Become an Operations Manager

The job of an operations manager is, quite literally, to manage a business’s operations. Operations are the inner workings of a business: staff, budgets, projects, strategies, and products all come under this bracket. The operations manager is in charge of multiple departments to ensure that they all function well together. Because of this, an operations... Read More »

The job of an operations manager is, quite literally, to manage a business’s operations. Operations are the inner workings of a business: staff, budgets, projects, strategies, and products all come under this bracket. The operations manager is in charge of multiple departments to ensure that they all function well together.

Because of this, an operations manager will need stellar knowledge of different parts of businesses. Their duties are diverse, and may change depending on which company they are working with, but can include:

• Coordinating different departments within a company to make sure that they operate smoothly together.
• Considering short and long term goals of each department and making sure that they are on track.
• Hiring and training employees across the board.
• Reviewing each department’s budgets, including going over expenses and analysing profits.
• Making administrative decisions.
• Overseeing inter-department communication and checking that everybody is collaborating together when needed.
• Ensuring that health and safety standards are met throughout the business.
• Reporting to the general manager.

This means that the ideal candidate for an operations management role will need a breadth of expertise in areas like human resources, finance, IT, and marketing. Also crucial for an operations manager is industry experience; they need to know the field inside out. Often, candidates in this role have previously worked in the same industry before assuming the operations manager position.

Most operations managers are graduates with strong experience. Suitable degrees include marketing, business, or management, but many subjects are acceptable, as long as the candidate has vocational experience in various business-related fields. Masters degrees in business management or a related field are also beneficial to an operations manager application.

Ongoing knowledge of different areas of business is essential for an operations manager; showing a strong interest in how businesses function through relevant work experience and taking supplementary courses would make someone’s application for this role stand out.

Due to the unpredictability of an operations manager’s job, they will often find themselves in stressful situations; so being able to remain calm under pressure, organisation, and critical thinking skills are essential for this role. They must also be excellent leaders, as they will often be supervising and directing a team of people, and great at communicating with people.

Operations managers typically work in offices on a 9-5 basis; although this can change depending on the industry. As their role is senior, they have a generous salary and high job security.