Operations Manager Job Description & Profile

Operations Manager Job Description & Profile

Business operations is a broad term used to define all activities necessary for a company to operate profitably. Most businesses fit into three broad categories. First, you have the sales/marketing department responsible for selling the product. Then you have the operations department responsible for creating and delivering the product. Lastly, you have the support departments (like finance, HR, compliance, etc.) which help with these goals.

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From that categorisation, business operations can mean many different things to different companies. Therefore, the operations department’s responsibility is to guarantee the smooth running of the business’s main line. The operations manager oversees these activities in the operations department. The operations manager’s job description thus relies on the organisation they work for. Here are some examples of the various responsibilities entrusted to the operations manager.

Improving Operational Processes

Operations managers are likely to better understand the company’s actual operations than most others. Therefore, they can add a lot of value to the company by improving or enhancing the operations department. Companies with a heavy focus on operations will spend a lot of money and resources to ensure their operations run efficiently.

Domain-Specific Activities

Operations managers must also be well-versed in operating in their specific industries. For example, an operations manager in financial services would need to be fully aware of the bank’s core banking systems, banking principles, governance policies, inherent operational risks, etc.

Managing Stakeholders

To manage the operations efficiently, the operations manager must liaise with scores of people across dozens of departments and possibly even in other companies. For example, an operations manager must liaise with the procurement manager for raw materials and supplies. Then the operations manager would have to liaise with the finance department for things like capital expenditure, machinery procurement, ensuring the employers are well paid, etc. The operations team also must work closely with the sales department to meet and fulfil customer orders.

Finally, an operations manager must interact with department heads and top management. Therefore, the number of skills an operations manager must possess is large.

Managing Safety

As it directly affects the workers’ physical and emotional health, this is a crucial task for an operations manager. Although other departments like HR or operational risk management might play a role, the operations manager is still the first line of defence regarding worker safety, and this becomes especially important in industrial operations with numerous moving parts and enormous machinery.

Providing Training and Leadership

While large companies might have dedicated training programs, operations managers are still the ones who will have to take the rookies along as they get their feet wet. When it comes to training, smaller and medium-sized businesses may be expected to carry the majority of the burden. Providing training requires a great deal of patience and the ability to keep the trainee motivated.

Operations managers must also provide leadership to the employees working in their departments. The work environment can get stressful, especially when the workload is high. It is usually required of a professional operations manager to inspire the entire staff.

Incident management and troubleshooting

Outliers and longtail events always influence operations, even though the operations department should run like a well-oiled machine. An experienced operations manager should deftly and smartly handle these exceptions and take care of any contingencies.

See also Finance Manager Salary & Pay for reference here.

And Procurement Manager Job Description & Profile here

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