What does an Area Manager do?

An Area Manager's responsibility is to oversee the business operations of all company branches within a particular area. Among the tasks involve creating strategies to achieve the sales target, monitoring and evaluating the performance and progress of stores including their workforce, adhering to the budget and regulations of the company, and focus on attaining the image and financial goals. Moreover, an Area Manager must communicate and coordinate with fellow managers and hire employees that would be a vital member of the company.
Area manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real area manager resumes:
- Manage the recruitment, hiring, training and development of all depot distribution staff.
- Used creativity and persistence to create new sales leads and run all provide leads.
- Mark by achieving district s top shrink and performance (e.g., CPR) rates.
- Manage Sortation area operations and escalate customer order fulfillment issues.
- Manage operations in accordance with all regulatory (HSE) requirements and company procedures/guiding principles.
- Implement and manage contracts for Medicaid while maintaining excellent relationships with key local agency executives.
- Perform financial management and oversight functions including maintaining and evaluating account activity, paperwork, and payroll and budget reports.
- Perform general/emergency first aid and CPR.
- Sell IPA business consultancy service to clients.
- Check for EAS hard tagging on all merchandise.
- Provide presentations and speeches on the benefits using IPA.
- Educate consumers to the nutritional values of pet foods.
- Review and maintain up to date CCTV, EAS and alarm equipment.
- Set the expectation for the region and hold each DM accountable for their territories.
- Supervise and motivate team to always meet goals while always staying within Ross process.
Area manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Area Managers are proficient in Customer Service, Safety Standards, and Logistics. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Management skills.
We break down the percentage of Area Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 18%
Trained 1200 managers and assistant managers on effective management techniques, customer service excellence, operational procedures, and computer operation.
- Safety Standards, 10%
Authored regulatory policies and instructions based on lessons learned in order to reinforce operational and safety standards for aircrew operations.
- Logistics, 8%
Coordinated logistics and developed marketing strategies to establish Platform Learning's educational program in the Chicago and Detroit Public School Districts.
- Excellent Interpersonal, 5%
Position required excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work individually or in a team.
- Business Plan, 4%
Spearheaded various regional strategies and joint business plans including sales execution, marketing initiatives, product distribution, and distributor development.
- Continuous Improvement, 4%
Recognized by senior management as a leader in continuous improvement in quality, productivity, employee recruitment and reduction of turnover.
"customer service," "safety standards," and "logistics" are among the most common skills that area managers use at work. You can find even more area manager responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for an area manager to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what area managers do because "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." Additionally, an area manager resume shows how area managers use communication skills: "controlled daily operations, inventory, and loss prevention efforts through leadership and communication. "
Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling area manager duties is leadership skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "top executives must be able to shape and direct an organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources." According to an area manager resume, here's how area managers can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "proved great success in leadership, store operations, and sales increase. "
Problem-solving skills. A big part of what area managers do relies on "problem-solving skills." You can see how essential it is to area manager responsibilities because "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical area manager tasks: "coordinated with client's loss prevention managers to ensure data accuracy; resolved inventory discrepancies. "
Time-management skills. Another common skill required for area manager responsibilities is "time-management skills." This skill comes up in the duties of area managers all the time, as "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." An excerpt from a real area manager resume shows how this skill is central to what an area manager does: "manage payroll time card and vacation time for all employees under my umbrella. "
The three companies that hire the most area managers are:
- Walmart331 area managers jobs
- Performance Food Group153 area managers jobs
- WIS63 area managers jobs
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Area manager vs. Assistant store manager/operations manager
An assistant store manager/operations manager is responsible for supervising the overall store operations, ensuring the highest customer satisfaction, and managing the staff's performance. Assistant store managers/operations managers strategize techniques to enhance the team's productivity and efficiency. They also identify business opportunities by conducting market research that would generate more revenue resources for the business and increase profits. An assistant store manager/operations manager assists the customers with their inquiries and concerns, resolve complaints, and process replacements and refunds as necessary.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an area manager are more likely to require skills like "logistics," "excellent interpersonal," "business plan," and "continuous improvement." On the other hand, a job as an assistant store manager/operations manager requires skills like "front end," "sales floor," "direct supervision," and "store associates." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Assistant store manager/operations managers tend to reach similar levels of education than area managers. In fact, assistant store manager/operations managers are 3.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Area manager vs. General manager of operations
General managers of operations are employed to oversee the overall operations of businesses. Their responsibilities include the improvement of the efficiency of the operations and overall management. They coordinate the primary performance goals for direct reporting functions and set the strategies for the organization. It is their responsibility to communicate strategy as well as results to employees. They also engage with the corporate officers in the strategic planning and development of the organization or enterprise.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that area manager responsibilities requires skills like "safety standards," "excellent interpersonal," "customer satisfaction," and "work ethic." But a general manager of operations might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "develop team," "financial statements," "oversight," and "personnel processes."
General managers of operations earn similar levels of education than area managers in general. They're 2.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Area Managers in the next 3-5 years?
Area manager vs. Operations manager, district
A district operations manager is a managerial professional who manages the daily operations of stores within the assigned district as well as provides support to managers in ensuring quality and budget performance. The district operations manager must work with the store management to create and implement action plans to address deficiencies discovered during a store audit. They are required to evaluate areas of operational concern and provide support during the implementation of solutions. District operations managers must also create a cooperative environment between operations and sales departments to motivate all employees to enhance customer service.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from area manager resumes include skills like "customer service," "safety standards," "excellent interpersonal," and "business plan," whereas an operations manager, district is more likely to list skills in "oversight," "succession planning," "team training," and "close coordination. "
Operations managers, district earn the best pay in the retail industry, where they command an average salary of $87,812. Area managers earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $77,221.Most operations managers, district achieve a similar degree level compared to area managers. For example, they're 1.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Area manager vs. Business operations manager
Business operations managers are responsible for managing people, project delivery, operations, budget, and strategies to smoothly run the company. Their duties include helping in the production planning process, ensuring that key performance indicators are followed and production targets are achieved. Responsibilities of operation managers include managing stock control and inventory, monitoring budget changes, as well as reporting these changes to relevant parties. Also, they create and monitor teams and projects together with ensuring that health and safety regulations are followed. Additionally, they review workloads and manpower to make sure targets are met.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between area managers and business operations managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an area manager might have more use for skills like "safety standards," "continuous improvement," "work ethic," and "osha." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of business operations managers require skills like "business operations," "project management," "provide management," and "shared services. "
Business operations managers enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $114,890. For comparison, area managers earn the highest salary in the technology industry.In general, business operations managers hold higher degree levels compared to area managers. Business operations managers are 8.1% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of area manager
Updated January 8, 2025