The following article discusses the career path of 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 Operations Managers.
Sponsored School(s)
Job Duties
Operations managers are responsible for the overall products of services and/or goods in their organization. They often manage multiple departments, such as warehousing, production, purchasing, and manufacturing. They have to ensure that the products developed by the company meet or even exceed the expectations of customers. Additionally, they are responsible for the smooth and efficient running of the organization as a whole, overseeing the budget as well. They often have to set profit and sales goals, and make sure that all operations are conducted in a safe manner. All relevant environmental and safety rules and regulations must also be adhered to.
They also review individual employees’ performance, which they do so regularly. Furthermore, they have a presence at various different staff meetings, as well as regularly meeting with representatives of the labor union. They also work with government officials and members of the community. An operations manager has to be make sure they can always demonstrate the relevance of their products or services to the marketplace. Furthermore, they must focus on ensuring all operations are fully compliant with the relevant environmental requirements, safety requirements, and labor issues.
Other job duties of an operations manager are:
- To be responsible for the daily operations of a department or entire company
- To make decisions in terms of who to hire and promote, how much to compensate them, disciplinary actions, terminations, and more, always following company procedures
- To manage and monitor overall operational costs
Where We Work
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 2.3 million general and operations managers in 2016, of which the director of security forms part. 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
An operations manager is expected to have a bachelor’s degree in marketing, finance, business, management, or similar field. Those who hold a master’s degree, and particularly the master of business administration (MBA) are in the greatest demand. Additionally, an operations manager must have significant work experience. They often have to coach and mentor other members of staff, in which they must have experience.
Education Requirements
An operations manager is generally expected to have a bachelor’s degree so that they can take on the managerial responsibilities relating to this type of position. Majors in business administration or business management are therefore common. More and more commonly, an operations manager is expected to hold an MBA, preferably with a concentration in operations management or related field. They must also have significant work experience to demonstrate their leadership skills.
Traits & Qualities
The most effective operations managers have the following traits to some degree or other:
- Keen eye for detail
- Excellent organizational skills
- Strong communication skills, both verbal and written
- Physical stamina
- Logical mind
- Problem solving capabilities
- Decision making capabilities
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Inspirational leadership skills
Minimum Education
Bachelor’s Degree
The national average salary estimate for Operations Manager was $64,810. This number is estimated from over 6,384,524 employees, users past and present job advertisements from Indeed.com. This equates to an hourly salary of $33.76 and monthly of $5,401.
- .
- .
- Most Reported
- .
- .
- .
- .
- .
- .
- .
$14,000
$153,000
The following section lists 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, Alaska had the largest quoted salary of $74,408 while Idaho had the smallest quoted salary of $49,748.
According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Operations Manager. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.
| Employer Name | Location | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Ascendo Resources | North Carolina | $200,514 |
| Deloitte | Illinois | $167,229 |
| Liberty Mutual | Massachusetts | $160,308 |
| Los Alamos National Laboratory | New Mexico | $159,411 |
| Selby Jennings | Massachusetts | $158,764 |
| Huxley Associates | Illinois | $156,537 |
| Right Recruiting | Maryland | $150,000 |
| Request Technology | Virginia | $145,934 |
| PerkinElmer | Massachusetts | $144,543 |
| Philips Recruiting Services | Nebraska | $142,303 |
| FPC of SW IndianA | Louisiana | $141,849 |
| CyberCoders | New Jersey | $139,095 |
| Cisco | California | $137,953 |
| The River Group Inc. | Louisiana | $137,234 |
| Advanced Search Group | Louisiana | $135,000 |
| RecordPoint Software | Washington | $135,000 |
| Staff 360 | Idaho | $134,174 |
Learn More
- Operations management – Wikipedia
- General and Operations Managers
- Introduction to Operations Management | Coursera
- What Can I Do With an MBA in Operations?
- Top Operations MBA Management Degree
| Career Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Network Administrator | $66,871 |
| Financial Analyst | $66,611 |
| Supply Chain Analyst | $66,387 |
| Compensation Analyst | $66,326 |
| Research Analyst | $65,125 |
| Financial Advisor | $64,188 |
| Pricing Analyst | $63,937 |
| Insurance Agent | $62,908 |
| Tax Analyst | $62,619 |
| Account Manager | $62,548 |
