How to Become an Operations Manager

An operations manager is the backbone of any organization. You will oversee business operations to ensure productivity. The responsibilities of an operations manager include:

• Formulating operational and strategic objectives 
• Developing, implementing, and reviewing operational procedures and policies
• Overseeing business planning, auditing, and reporting 
• Managing forecasts and budgets 
• Performing quality controls and monitoring production KPIs 
• Ensuring the company's processes stay legally compliant 
• Recruiting, training, and supervising staff 
• Identifying and addressing problems and opportunities 
• Assessing financial data and using it to improve profitability 
• Building partnerships and alliances with other organizations
• Improving business processes, best practices, and operational management systems
• Supporting employee communication with the company management team
• Ensuring all business operations run appropriately and in a cost-effective way 
• Managing relationships with key business operations vendors

An operations manager focuses on increasing the efficiency of business processes to maximize results and output within an organization. The following tools will allow you to monitor, track, and even measure key organizational metrics to ensure everything is working as it should.

• Process flow diagram – Operations managers use this tool to see everything happening in a business process and communicate process changes.
• Histogram – The histogram highlights various measurements' frequency and distribution, allowing you to identify outliers in your data. 
• Run chart – Operations managers use this tool to monitor a business process over time. They use it to identify trends and mean measurements that will occur.
• Control chart – Operations managers use this statistical process control tool to monitor the performance of a business process.
• Pareto chart – Operations managers use this chart to instantly identify the common events causing problems in your business operations.

An operations manager works in an office environment. You will have a team of support staff that assist with various organizational responsibilities and human resource tasks. Late evenings, long hours, and working on weekends are quite common. Travel will be a big part of your job, especially if you get a job in a head office or organization with various branches. The good news is that some companies allow you to work away from the office. You will plan a budget, develop strategies, and monitor business operations to improve quality, efficiency, and profits while working from home. 

Depending on your company's industry, your colleagues will include general managers, chief operations officers, and other departmental heads. You will also work with the human resource managers to help locate, recruit, and train new employees for your organization. Sometimes, you'll work with the board of directors and senior stakeholders, especially when reporting on the corporation's organizational progress.  

The work schedule for professional operations managers is usually Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Since this is a salary position, expect some overtime, especially during busy periods or when your organization has big projects and looming deadlines. 

Professional certifications are also helpful since they demonstrate knowledge and formal education in the certified areas. They also show commitment to your career and professional development. An organization will require management-level workers to participate in specific management training programs developed by the company or from an external managerial program. These programs teach supplementary tools for optimizing the workplace and managing staff.

In many organizations, the operations manager position is not an entry-level job. Therefore, you'll need work experience in a business-related area such as retail management, manufacturing, or supply chain management. While a small organization will ask for a minimum of three to five years of experience, bigger corporations will need a decade of industry experience or even more. Although directly applicable experience isn't required, it is a good idea. After all, many operations managers switch fields later when looking for better employment opportunities and career advancement.

Operations managers rely on many skills to successfully perform their duties. The skills you apply to the role will boost your effectiveness and success. From organizing project details and managing budgets to collaborating with teams, an operations manager needs strong hard and soft skills to handle the position's responsibilities. Below are some of the skills you will need for your career success:

• Data processing skills
• Technical proficiency
• Excellent communication skills
• Solid leadership skills
• Ability to delegate responsibilities and tasks
• Problem-solving skills
• Strong time-management skills
• Expertise in Microsoft Office products and database software
• Ability to work with teams
• Decision-making skills
• Attention to detail
• Organizational skills
• Ability to interpret and analyze financial data
• Product management skills
• Good negotiation skills

Operations managers oversee all operational activities in an organization. They ensure the quality of the company's services, and they ensure products meet or exceed customer expectations. To achieve that, operations managers run various processes, such as hiring new workers and training them in particular procedures and skill sets. They also manage quality assurance programs and monitor the existing employees to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Operations managers strategize process improvements to make sure everyone completes their assigned tasks on schedule. They also implement strategies and policies to improve efficiency and productivity while building high morale and top performance company culture.

To succeed in your operations manager role, you need good leadership skills that guide, inspire, and motivate employees to stay productive and deliver valuable work. You also need extensive knowledge and industry experience working in a busy business environment. These requirements will help you understand how business functions and how to provide effective and accurate operations policies. A strong business operations manager will need to have advanced experience building budgets and handling finances. Strong interpersonal and communication abilities are also important in an ideal applicant. It is important that you listen to the needs of workers and collaborate with department heads to create strategies that benefit every team.

In many cases, operations managers and general managers share many similarities. However, there are some key differences between these two roles, especially regarding their main responsibilities and duties. A general manager is usually in charge of a specific area of a company. These professionals manage one or several departments. They oversee the day-to-day operations of the departments and provide the necessary improvements. On the other hand, operations managers work in a more senior-level position since they oversee all the company's operations rather than specific departments. These business professionals work more closely with shareholders and other company executives, while general managers work hands-on with other middle-level managers.

Applying for a job as an operations manager is easy with Spherion. You can search for operations manager jobs on  Spherion.com by job title and location. If you don’t see the perfect role, you can submit an open application. Once you submit your contact information and resume through Spherion’s open application, a recruiter from the office closest to you will reach out with details about potential operations manager roles that fit your skill set and professional goals.