Operations Manager Career Path

Operations Manager Roles and Responsibilities

The operations managers are hired by companies either directly or occasionally as consultants to perform specific tasks. An operations manager in a diverse range of industries is needed to analyze the current procedures and recommend the necessary changes. They also create strategic plans for the clients to reach the desired goal within the deadline. In different industries, operations managers have different roles. However, the majority of their roles are standard in business operations.

1. Inventory Management 

The role is specifically for operations managers working in retail or organizations that market certain goods and deal with inventory management. The operations manager schedules shipments, employees, and deliveries to optimize operations and meet business goals.

2. Processes

The operations manager must impose and maintain the organization’s procedures. Processes involve supporting HR with recruitment initiatives, budgeting, compliance, quality control, planning, controlling inventory, customer satisfaction, supply chain management, risk management, teamwork, and collaboration, including the use of software. The operations manager must be involved from the beginning of the project till its completion to optimize the overall growth and profit of the businesses. 

3. Personnel

The operations of any organization involve a significant portion of human resources. An operations manager can be the supervisor of the human division. On the other hand, they can also be engaged in solving human issues in the company. This can enhance and maintain the efficiency of the business, non-profit organizations, and government agencies.

4. Finance

An operations manager has a significant role in accounting and finance. Here, they have to manage operational and financial systems, administration, procedures, and internal controls to keep up with the goals of the organization. The operations manager plays a major role in the accounting department, managing and leading stakeholders, managing budget, revenue expansion, and profitability. To support the organizational mission, an operations manager works cross-functionally on projects at the global level.

5. Reporting 

An operation manager is the lead who reports on the performance of the organization. He checks if the plans, policies, and processes are effective or need changes in order to reach the desired goal effectively within the timeline. This ensures that the operations manager plays a major role in long-term planning, reporting ongoing updates, and implying the change in control processes. 

Key Operations Manager Skills

The operations manager plays a key role in building the company's status and is involved from the start to the end of projects. Therefore, they must possess key skills and technical knowledge to excel in the job. Let us explore what technical knowledge and skills are required to make them successful in the field.

1. Organizational Skills: An operation manager must learn to strongly lead, manage, and motivate employees and resources to perform the tasks necessary to complete the project. 
2. Presentation Skills: An operations manager must know how to communicate easily with stakeholders and make them understand complex data in a more straightforward form using their perfect presentation skills.
3. IT Skills: An operations manager must know and keep updated on software, tools, and technologies to incorporate them into their project and increase efficiency and productivity. 
4. Problem-Solving Skills: Thinking outside the box helps an operation manager develop quick solutions to complicated issues and build unique results. This helps reduce costs and time while handling the project.
5. Strategic Planning: An operation manager must know how to plan procedures strategically, make decisions, and allocate employees and resources efficiently.  The skills are necessary to control the business as planned without involving a loss.
6. Leadership: An operations manager must be skilled in leading the team to successfully complete the project. The skills require expertise to motivate employees, inspire them to perform better and give them ideas to deliver the desired outcome. 
7. Data Processing: An operations manager is responsible for processing and organizing data to track multiple corporate operations. This includes cash flow, sales transactions, supply chain management, profit, and so on.
8. Decision-Making: An operations manager must closely observe the project to make decisions. The decisions must be quick, strategic, and based on specific business metrics to encounter challenges and reach the desired goal.
9. Communication: An effective operations manager has good communication skills to make reports, negotiate with stakeholders, present and transcribe technical data, run meetings, and discuss commercial contracts. The better the communication skills of an operations manager, the higher the chances of profitability and ease of the project.
10. Budget Management: The operations manager must be able to complete the task within the budget decided. They must deliver their role perfectly in cost monitoring, revenues, and forecasting future production costs and profitability. A potential operations manager must be able to assist in finances so well that the company won't face huge losses in its businesses. 
11. Technical Proficiency: An operation manager must have the knowledge and skills to automate and monitor corporate processes, track cost and revenue production, manage customer contacts, etc.
12. Time Management: The operations manager plays a major role in scheduling deadlines, tracking production milestones, and ensuring the completion of the project by the team within the given timeline. Time management skills are important to deliver tasks effectively and increase the efficiency and productivity of the company.

How to Become an Operations Manager?

To build a career as an operations manager, an individual must follow the operations manager career path mentioned below.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Field

To become an operations manager, one must have a bachelor’s degree in business-related fields such as business administration, finance, accounting, management, etc. The technical skills of an operations manager, like statistics and mathematical modeling, come with education. 

• Gaining Relevant Experience

Operations managers are selected for multiple-level positions such as entry-level posts, junior, senior, and so on. They are hired based on their experience; the more experience, the greater the field knowledge.

• Pursuing of Master’s Degree

Many organizations consider hiring operations managers with higher degrees like master's. As per a report, 9% of operations managers possess master's degrees in business-related fields. An individual must go for a master's program in project management, supply chain management, business ethics, project management, and more to have advanced knowledge of business functions. This ensures higher chances of getting hired as an operations manager by top-ranking companies.

• Earning Industry-relevant Certifications

If you want to become an operations manager in a top-ranking company, you must take certain certification courses. This provides a competitive edge by validating your key skills to the hiring companies. You must first check the skills that are in demand and gain the latest skills and competencies with the right project management courses and certifications from Simplilearn. 

• Working on Skills Development

To become an effective options manager, you must build certain key skills required to perform the role. The skills mentioned above are key roles that must be considered and learned to excel in the field. These skills turn an ordinary operations manager into a high-credit professional whom top-notch companies want to hire.

• Enhancing Your Resume and Preparing for an Interview

You must start by creating a strong resume. Know the job requirements and craft your resume accordingly before forwarding it to the organization. As a next step, begin preparing for your interview. No matter how substantial your degree and experience are, if you fail to perform well in the interview, your chances of getting hired will be less.

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The Future of Operations Management

As per the report of Times of India, 6% of the operations manager jobs are estimated to increase by 2030. Managing the operations of the organizations’ projects has evolved with the involvement of advanced technologies, software, and tools. Employers filter out candidates who are skilled enough to perform their projects. Thus, a certification course helps candidates build their careers as successful operations managers. 

Are you looking for a top-ranking course related to operations management? Simplilearn’s Post Graduate Program In Project Management teaches you theoretical and practical field knowledge. You can be a potential operations manager in just six months. What are you waiting for? Enroll now. 

FAQs

1. What is the average salary progression for an Operations Manager? 

The average salary for an operations manager in India is INR 11 lakhs per annum. In the United States, the average annual salary is around $120,016.

2. How does one transition from Operations Manager to an executive role?

An executive role requires certain skills and responsibilities. If an operations manager develops the necessary skills, cultivates a strategic mindset, and understands the business objectives like long-term goals, they have the potential to make this transition successfully.

3. What are the most sought-after skills for an Operations Manager?

The most sought-after or in-demand skills in the operations manager career path are coordination, planning, collaboration, and budgeting. These skills are important in building other business-related skills required by an operations manager in diverse fields.