What’s an Operations Manager’s Job Description? Key Roles and Responsibilities

What Are the Key Roles and Responsibilities of an Operations Manager? 

An operation manager is a significant team member in charge of high-level HR responsibilities like attracting skilled candidates, establishing training guidelines, and supervising recruiting. In other words, the operations manager ensures that the organization’s activities run smoothly. They examine and enhance organizational procedures to boost productivity and efficiency while satisfying customer cost-effectiveness standards. 

Are you aspiring to be an operational manager? If so, this post is meant for you. Take a look at what it takes to qualify as an operations manager. 

What Is an Operations Manager? 

Before looking deeper into what an operation manager is, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of operation management. In its basic form, operation management governs organizational operations to accomplish goals and boost productivity and revenue growth. 

Therefore, an operations manager is responsible for implementing the proper procedures and practices throughout the organizational activities. As previously stated, they achieve this by setting up, planning, and supervising activities and enhancing performance and service delivery to meet customer needs. They also develop strategies, acquire tools and resources, and ensure compliance. 

What Does an Operations Manager Do? 

An operations manager’s roles and responsibilities will differ depending on the company and industry. However, when working in business operations, they tend to execute more of these functions: 

Budget Creation and Planning 

Operation managers play a vital role in financial planning and management. They also oversee operational systems, controls, and fiscal reports. The role entails managing capital, budgeting, reporting on finances, reducing expenses, and other factors that affect a company’s cash flow. 

They are also a part of the inventory team, which conducts analysis and guarantees that the company’s profit remains stable by effectively reducing the cost of carrying inventory. 

Developing and Monitoring Organizational Processes 

Operations managers develop, implement, and review all organizational work operations. They handle processes across different functional workflows. For instance, an operations manager in the manufacturing industry will be in charge of developing rules and regulations governing equipment use, work standards, management, and shipping. 

Operations managers also collaborate closely with the HR department to improve the hiring process to make the induction process of new staff members more swift and effective. 

Supervising Workers 

In addition to recruiting and training workers, operations managers assist in human resource management tasks such as supervising and disciplining employees. They are also significant in assisting the business with staff evaluations by conveying work expectations and checking on and assessing work contributions from individuals. 

Identifying and Improving Quality Control Problems 

An operations manager implements and improves efficiency, quality, and customer support standards. Plus, if there is a problem with quality control, they are supposed to conduct audits and offer solutions. 

Operations managers bear a high degree of responsibility for on-site safety incidents. They are also expected to be readily available to clients with good or service quality issues. As a result, they contribute to better product design to ensure customer satisfaction. On top of that, operations managers provide operational information and recommendations for developing and implementing growth plans and techniques. 

What Are the Qualifications for Becoming an Operations Manager? 

The following are the minimum qualifications for the role of operations manager: 

• Excellent soft skills: An operations manager must communicate effectively to build relationships with the stakeholders of the business. They should also have exceptional negotiation skills to hire talent. Leadership skills are essential for motivating employees and settling conflicts. 
• Bachelor’s degree: It is the initial qualification for this position. A bachelor’s degree in a business-related field is required to understand the basic principles of organizational management. 
• Extensive experience: Most organizations are keen to invest in employees who can show an established career path and managerial skills. Therefore, it is best to start with entry-level jobs to gain expertise when aspiring to be an operations manager. 

• Education requirement: Any managerial position necessitates a thorough understanding of strategy, skill sets, and awareness. Thus, people need additional training to hone their skills to succeed as operations managers. This can be a certificate course or a post-graduate course. 
• A well-created resume: A good operations manager resume should explicitly describe the individual’s educational background, abilities, and experience. A cover letter is also necessary to highlight how you can help the company grow. 
• Outstanding hard skills: One of the most significant tasks of an operations manager is to run analyses and keep track of data. As a result, possessing skills in software programs can be advantageous to individuals applying for this job. They should also be more knowledgeable about payroll tools. 

Academic Programs for Operations Management 

As an operations manager, you will manage the organization’s activities. The role necessitates adequate knowledge as well as a robust skill set. That’s why the University of People provides academic programs that will help you refine your skills and display your expertise to stand out as a top candidate for an operations manager role. 

Ultimately, operations managers are critical to the business’s long-term success. They keep the business profitable by offering effective solutions to issues and making sure everything runs smoothly. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

What Are the 3 Roles of Operations Management?  

While operation management roles differ depending on the company, this position requires individuals to deal with key areas of improvement, such as ensuring safety, lowering operation costs, and fostering greater customer satisfaction. 

Who Qualifies As an Operations Manager? 

A person with a degree in any business-related area and relevant experience can be a suitable candidate for the operations manager position. 

What Are the 7 Main Functions of Operations Management? 

• Product development 
• Operational planning 
• Finance  
• Developing and implementing strategies 
• Forecasting 

• Supply chain management 
• Quality monitoring 

What Are the 4 Types of Operations Management? 

The four types of operations management include: 

• Inventory management 
• Operations efficiency 
• Production efficiency 
• Quality control 

Is Operations Manager an HR Role? 

Yes, because an operations manager assists in recruiting employees, establishing new company rules, and keeping internal HR systems in good working order.