Business Operations Manager Salary

Created by Henry Steele

By Henry Steele - January 8, 2018
Reading Time: 7 minutes
Reading Time: 7 minutes

The following article discusses the career path of Business Operations Manager. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of Business Operations Managers.

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Job Duties

Business operations managers oversee all of the the organization’s daily operations and activities. They make sure that all processes are running in a smooth manner. It is a very stressful job, therefore, as many problems will arise on a day to day basis, and they must supervise everything.

See 14 Best Business Jobs with a Bachelor’s Degree

Additionally, business managers are ambassadors and relationship builders. They must continuously update supervisors, external partners, and their own subordinate employees about what is happening in the organization, whether targets are being met, and where improvements need to be made.

Other job duties of a business operations manager include:

  • Identifying issues and developing, planning, and implementing processes and strategies to ensure that issues are resolved
  • Holding responsibility for the operations designed to meet the financial goals and needs of the business
  • Putting processes, regulations, and rules in place that employees have to follow
  • Assisting in making financial decisions
  • Developing new strategies that ensure the business can improve, working together with accounting, finance, and human resources departments

Where We Work

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 2.3 million general and operations managers in 2016. The largest employers of these professionals were:

  • Retail trade: 12%
  • Professional, scientific, and technical services: 11%
  • Manufacturing: 10%
  • Wholesale trade: 8%
  • Construction: 7%

How to Become

Typically, business operations managers have a bachelor’s degree as a minimum, in a field related to business. They also have significant working experience. This will have enabled them to develop planning and organizational skills. They also have to be trained in standard computer programs, particularly Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint. Some business operations managers now go on to achieve a master’s degree, with equips them with the necessary skills to solve problems and think outside of the box.

Education Requirements

A bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement for a business operations manager, generally with some sort of business focus. Others focus more strongly on liberal arts, law, or public administration, depending on the industry in which they work.

Find 10 Best Online Operations Management Degrees

Having significant experience is usually of greater importance. Most business operations managers have climbed the ranks within their own organization, starting at entry level and moving into lower management and then senior management positions. Sometimes, external candidates are brought in because they provide a fresh, outsider look on the company. In this case, education weighs heavier as a requirement for the job.

Traits & Qualities

The most effective business operations managers have the following traits to some degree or other:

  • Excellent communication skills
  • Strong decision making skills
  • Leadership skills, with the ability to motivate others
  • Management skills
  • Excellent problem solving skills
  • Strong time management skills

Minimum Education

Bachelor’s Degree

National Salary

The national average salary estimate for Business Operations Manager was $68,007. This number is estimated from over 209,624 employees, users past and present job advertisements from Indeed.com. This equates to an hourly salary of $35.42 and monthly of $5,667.

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$14,000

$167,000

Salary Distribution

Salary by State

The following section lists Business Operations Manager salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, Washington had the largest quoted salary of $98,159 while Montana had the smallest quoted salary of $31,795.

ArkansasGeorgiaMichiganPennsylvania
ArizonaIowaMinnesotaTennessee
CaliforniaIdahoMontanaTexas
ColoradoIndianaNorth CarolinaUtah
ConnecticutLouisianaNew JerseyVirginia
DCMassachusettsNew YorkWashington
FloridaMarylandOhioWisconsin
Arkansas$65,120Rank: 14th
The average salary ranks 14th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Arkansas Department Of Human Services and Walmart.

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$27,000

$119,000

Salary Distribution
Arizona$62,521Rank: 17th
The average salary ranks 17th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Arizona State University, State of Arizona, and Arizona Public Service (APS).

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$20,000

$127,000

Salary Distribution
California$92,916Rank: 2nd
The average salary ranks 2nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Intel, University of California Santa Cruz, Google, and Clinical Management Consultants.

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$21,000

$215,000

Salary Distribution
Colorado$62,153Rank: 18th
The average salary ranks 18th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like University of Colorado.

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$14,000

$147,000

Salary Distribution
Connecticut$66,602Rank: 12th
The average salary ranks 12th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

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$27,000

$122,000

Salary Distribution
DC$64,490Rank: 16th
The average salary ranks 16th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

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$14,000

$151,000

Salary Distribution
Florida$68,211Rank: 8th
The average salary ranks 8th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Idea Recruitment, Independent Recruiting Consultant – Small Business Consulting Group, and Links Medical Associates.

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$15,000

$160,000

Salary Distribution
Georgia$55,704Rank: 22nd
The average salary ranks 22nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Department Of Public Health, Verizon, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Ga.Dept of Community Health.

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$14,000

$127,000

Salary Distribution
Iowa$58,222Rank: 21st
The average salary ranks 21st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Premier Investments of Iowa, Inc..

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$25,000

$105,000

Salary Distribution
Idaho$47,404Rank: 26th
The average salary ranks 26th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like IDAHO DEPT. OF LABOR.

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$11.85

$42.00

Salary Distribution
Indiana$48,875Rank: 24th
The average salary ranks 24th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like The Crossing and NextWave Resources.

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$14,000

$126,000

Salary Distribution
Louisiana$45,514Rank: 27th
The average salary ranks 27th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like State of Louisiana.

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$14,000

$118,000

Salary Distribution
Massachusetts$70,876Rank: 6th
The average salary ranks 6th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like University of Massachusetts.

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$21,000

$148,000

Salary Distribution
Maryland$67,273Rank: 10th
The average salary ranks 10th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

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$16,000

$153,000

Salary Distribution
Michigan$69,655Rank: 7th
The average salary ranks 7th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Experis.

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$20,000

$150,000

Salary Distribution
Minnesota$59,137Rank: 20th
The average salary ranks 20th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Taylor Medical.

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$17,000

$125,000

Salary Distribution
Montana$31,795Rank: 28th
The average salary ranks 28th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Aware Inc. and Montana State University.

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$8.35

$25.10

Salary Distribution
North Carolina$65,987Rank: 13th
The average salary ranks 13th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Adecco.

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$14,000

$158,000

Salary Distribution
New Jersey$90,226Rank: 3rd
The average salary ranks 3rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Human Resource Alliance.

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$14,000

$246,000

Salary Distribution
New York$72,898Rank: 5th
The average salary ranks 5th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like AMSC, LLC and Hueb.

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$14,000

$178,000

Salary Distribution
Ohio$47,940Rank: 25th
The average salary ranks 25th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting and Verizon.

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$14,000

$121,000

Salary Distribution
Pennsylvania$60,692Rank: 19th
The average salary ranks 19th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Molding Business Services.

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$17,000

$130,000

Salary Distribution
Tennessee$73,551Rank: 4th
The average salary ranks 4th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Aerotek.

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$14,000

$200,000

Salary Distribution
Texas$67,216Rank: 11th
The average salary ranks 11th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Ericsson, HP, DELSERVE, and Texas Department of Transportation.

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$14,000

$166,000

Salary Distribution
Utah$55,061Rank: 23rd
The average salary ranks 23rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like COLUMBUS COMMUNITY CENTER and Expansive Health Services.

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$14,000

$138,000

Salary Distribution
Virginia$65,004Rank: 15th
The average salary ranks 15th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like University of Virginia.

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$14,000

$154,000

Salary Distribution
Washington$98,159Rank: 1st
The average salary ranks 1st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like King County, Microsoft, and Boeing.

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$29,000

$208,000

Salary Distribution
Wisconsin$67,314Rank: 9th
The average salary ranks 9th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like University of Wisconsin–Madison.

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$15,000

$157,000

Salary Distribution

Top 20 National Employers

According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Business Operations Manager. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.

Employer NameLocationAverage Salary

Learn More

Related Careers

Career NameAverage Salary

Henry Steele
Managing Editor
Henry is Managing Editor of BusinessStudent.com. He is a seasoned business professional who regularly consults with local business's throughout Southern California. Henry pursued his undergrad in Business and Economics at the University of San Diego and gained valuable life changing experience through a unique internship upon graduation.

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