Find out what you need to succeed as an Operations Manager

Operations Managers have fingers in lots of pies and a great overview of the business. If you can combine leadership, financial, and organisational skills, then a career in operations could be the path for you. In this post, we'll look into the Operations Manager job role and the skills and qualifications required to succeed. We also have an example of an Operations Manager job description that you can use to inform your operations CV. 

What does an Operations Manager do?

The exact role of an Operations Manager will depend on the company and the sector it operates in, but in general, an Operations Manager will ensure the business runs smoothly by controlling operational budgets, leading operations teams, enforcing policies and procedures, and overseeing quality control. In short, they're the ones that enable a business to run efficiently and cost effectively to achieve its goals. 

What are the roles and responsibilities of an Operations Manager?

An Operations Manager has broad and diverse responsibilities, which will vary from business to business. The duties of an Operations Manager could include: 

  • Optimising production, logistics, and supply chain processes

  • Managing teams and budgets

  • Interacting with colleagues at all levels and across departments

  • Ensuring compliance with regulations, processes, and procedures 

  • Improving human and process performance to increase profitability

  • Minimising operational costs 

  • Overseeing quality control 

  • Planning operations and resources

As you can see, Operations Manager responsibilities are broad and require a strong and wide-ranging skill set. 

What skills are required to be an Operations Manager? 

To fulfil your Operations Manager duties effectively, you'll need to develop the required skills as you progress up the career ladder. These will include: 

  • Leadership: Depending on the organisation, you could be managing a small, on-site team or a large, multinational team
  • Organisation: One of the main Operations Manager duties is to keep the business running smoothly, so organisational, planning, and prioritisation skills are a must
  • Financial acumen: You'll need to be confident allocating, monitoring, and controlling the operations budget
  • Decision-making: An Operations Manager needs to be able to make decisions on future operations – and make more decisions when things don't quite go to plan
  • Project management: To keep the business moving forward, an Operations Manager needs to be able to deliver improvement projects on time and within budget
  • Strategic planning: The ability to think strategically enables Operations Managers to align operational decisions with wider organisational objectives
  • Business insight: The Operations Manager needs to understand the needs, priorities, and direction of the company they work for, in order to steer operations in the right direction to achieve profitability, customer satisfaction, and efficiency

What qualifications does an Operations Manager need?

You may not need any specific qualifications to become an Operations Manager. Many professionals who attain this position have university degrees, in various subjects, but it's not always necessary. Relevant subjects to study include Business Administration, Management, or Project Management. On the whole, though, having the right skills and experience are more important. Great sector knowledge and insight is also beneficial. 

Operations Manager job description example 

Below, you'll find an Operations Manager job description. This can be used as you compile your Operations Manager CV, to ensure that it ticks all the right boxes and contains the relevant keywords. 

THE COMPANY

We are an FMCG company specialising in grocery products. We are aiming to expand into Europe this year and are looking for an Operations Manager that can enable us to achieve our goals. 

THE OPERATIONS MANAGER ROLE

You'll oversee all operational activities, including implementing processes, increasing productivity, and improving the customer experience. You'll be responsible for the Operations, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Warehouse, Logistics, Invoicing and Credit Control teams. We're looking for someone strategic and proactive, with experience in Lean processes. Our team is important to us, so you'll need to prioritise culture, demonstrate a people-first attitude, and be able to identify future talent. 

OPERATIONS MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES 

  • Manage the credit control, purchasing and warehouse teams

  • Take responsibility for stock, purchasing and supply chain

  • Meet annual budget and identify cost and waste reduction opportunities

  • Identify trends and anticipate challenges ahead

  • Maintain knowledge of industry standards and new technologies

  • Oversee quality sign-off and returns reporting

  • Meet H&S standards and regulatory requirements

  • Monitor and develop performance through goal setting, training, culture, and accountability

  • Recruit, induct, and onboard new starters

  • Be a brand ambassador

OPERATIONS MANAGER REQUIRED SKILLS

  • Experience in the FMCG sector

  • Financial and commercial acumen

  • Leadership and team management 

  • Planning and prioritising

  • Strategy development 

  • Ability to drive growth and improvement

OPERATIONS MANAGER PERSON SPECIFICATION

  • 3+ years' experience in a similar role

  • Exceptional leadership and team building skills

  • Proficient in application of Lean principles

  • Familiar with running multi-channel logistics operations

  • Knowledge of regulatory compliance within UK and EU markets

  • Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal

  • Commercial skills, data analysis, and time-motion studies

  • Personable, presentable, and articulate

  • Adept with technical detail and strong in accuracy

  • Willing to travel abroad

  • A qualification in Operations Management, Lean, or People Management

Expert tip: When preparing your CV, focus on covering the requirements in the Person Specification section of the job advert you're applying to.

Progress your career in operations management

Now you know what's expected of an Operations Manager and have aligned your CV with the Operations Manager job description, you're well positioned to take the next step in your career. Ensure you tailor your CV to the job advert you're responding to, bearing in mind any industry-specific requirements, and you'll be well on your way to securing an interview. 

Not landing the interviews you expect? Why not send your CV for a free CV review by the experts at TopCV? They'll explain what you need to do to take your applications to the next level. 

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