What is a Business Operations Manager?

Business operations managers are key personnel in any company, large or small, operating in any industry type. They are the ones who coordinate the work of various departments, keeping their eyes on the big picture.

As a business operations manager, you will be responsible for hiring and firing people, drawing up budgets, and making sure expenses do not go overboard. You will negotiate contracts and analyze reports assembled by department heads to get a clear idea about the company's activities' efficiency.

What 'operations' means exactly varies from company to company. It is an expression referring to whatever needs to be done to keep the ship afloat. Landing this position means you are moving up in the world, but you will need ample experience and a clear insight into running a business to stay on top of your responsibilities.

What Does a Business Operations Manager Do

There are certain skills that many business operations managers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, leadership skills and management skills.

Learn more about what a Business Operations Manager does

How To Become a Business Operations Manager

If you're interested in becoming a business operations manager, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 68.4% of business operations managers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 16.2% of business operations managers have master's degrees. Even though most business operations managers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Business Operations Manager
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Business Operations Manager Career Paths

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a business operations manager can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as operations director, progress to a title such as vice president and then eventually end up with the title vice president & general manager.

Business Operations Manager

Average Salary for a Business Operations Manager

Business Operations Managers in America make an average salary of $91,511 per year or $44 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $144,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $58,000 per year.
Average Business Operations Manager Salary
$91,511 Yearly
$44.00 hourly
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Roles and Types of Business Operations Manager

The role of a business operations manager includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general business operations manager responsibilities:

  • Work with business operations and delivering teams in analyzing business
  • Managing the timeliness and quality of all programmatic reporting requirements to business area vp level staff reporting requirements include dashboards, division day, new business reviews, internet program reporting system, return-to green plans, gate reviews, area business plans
  • Corporate performance analysis and reporting utilize knowledge of commercial markets

There are several types of business operations manager, including:

Business Manager

Role:

Business managers oversee the day-to-day operations of a company, setting goals, instructing and evaluating employees, and monitoring processes. They do it all.

They go to meetings all day to receive reports from team and department leads. They delegate tasks, decide on priorities, plan budgets, and keep their eye on the big picture.

Business managers have a good life, once they learn how to not crack under pressure.

They work out of an office and typically stick to a 40 hour a week load. They travel for meetings and professional visits. Depending on the size and type of business, managers can make anything between $85,000 and $150,000, or more, with benefits, of course.

On the flip side, they are kind of responsible for the achievements of the company. But who says you can't handle it?

  • Average Salary: $83,198
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Business Unit Manager

Role:

What will you do as a Business Unit Manager? You will manage and build customer relationships, track data, and meet emerging needs. As the Business Unit Manager, you will follow trends of products and suggest new ways to build your company's business. You will also create, modify, update, and communicate budgets and strategic goals. As the Business Unit Manager, you will troubleshoot and resolve problems and concerns, document root causes, and fix problems.

A Business Unit Manager should have a bachelor's degree in business administration or a similar field. You should also have a diploma from an accredited university or college. You will need experience in the business field and as a leader of a group or team. If you have five to nine years of experience, you could earn an average yearly salary of $87,000. As a Business Unit Manager with ten to twenty years of experience, you could earn as high as $103,000 annually.

  • Average Salary: $122,782
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Manager Of Business Services

Role:

Business service managers plan, direct, and organize the administrative functions of a business. They primarily keep operations running smoothly by providing strategic, operational support and managing organizational resources. They are also tasked with analyzing complex resource issues and preparing reports.

Business service managers earn a median sum of $44 per hour, which amounts to $92,000 per year. Business service managers oversee the overall management of a unit and support the unit's strategic initiatives. They identify cost savings and revenue sources, thereby participating in the financial success of the operation. They also evaluate business trends and make recommendations to improve operations efficiency. Business service managers are required to have analytical, math, and leadership skills to succeed in the field.

Business service managers mostly hold a bachelor's or master's degree in business or a similar role from an accredited university. Since it is a high-ranking position, candidates are expected to have some years of experience in a related role and practice positive approaches to problem-solving for fundamental issues.

  • Average Salary: $98,244
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Business Operations Manager Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active business operations manager jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where business operations managers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Business Operations Manager Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California5,973$98,074
2Texas4,795$66,652
3Florida3,580$58,284
4Ohio3,245$74,005
5Pennsylvania2,722$84,794
6New York2,451$98,224
7North Carolina2,359$86,878
8Michigan2,359$70,747
9Georgia2,354$55,642
10Illinois2,087$70,459
11Indiana2,024$59,135
12Washington1,875$75,977
13Missouri1,813$49,206
14Massachusetts1,744$95,310
15Tennessee1,633$58,518
16Wisconsin1,583$71,833
17New Jersey1,549$103,422
18Minnesota1,540$64,050
19Virginia1,426$91,315
20South Carolina1,165$64,887
21Kentucky1,164$57,432
22Maryland1,095$90,447
23Alabama1,080$68,430
24Iowa1,035$52,433
25Kansas989$48,169
26Arizona914$56,193
27Arkansas869$44,172
28Louisiana858$60,541
29Colorado808$61,866
30Nevada792$72,854
31Oklahoma749$44,333
32Nebraska716$46,161
33Connecticut673$104,386
34Oregon671$59,852
35Mississippi602$51,601
36New Mexico490$63,831
37Utah460$48,908
38Montana399$42,720
39New Hampshire391$71,075
40West Virginia339$63,737
41Idaho325$50,509
42South Dakota323$65,199
43Alaska270$67,631
44Maine268$60,187
45Delaware212$112,764
46Rhode Island194$103,979
47Hawaii153$68,583
48Wyoming131$42,388
49North Dakota129$44,965
50Vermont87$64,158

Business Operations Manager Education

Business Operations Manager Majors

Business
40.0 %
Accounting
9.0 %
Finance
8.0 %

Business Operations Manager Degrees

Bachelors

68.4 %

Masters

16.2 %

Associate

10.7 %

Top Colleges for Business Operations Managers

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

9. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

10. Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$52,930

Enrollment

5,030

Top Skills For a Business Operations Manager

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 15.9% of business operations managers listed business operations on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and leadership skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Business Operations Manager Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Business Operations Manager templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Business Operations Manager resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Business Operations Manager diversity

Business Operations Manager Gender Distribution

Male
Male
53%
Female
Female
47%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among business operations managers, 46.8% of them are women, while 53.2% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among business operations managers is White, which makes up 67.0% of all business operations managers.

  • The most common foreign language among business operations managers is Spanish at 49.6%.

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Best States For a Business Operations Manager

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a business operations manager. The best states for people in this position are Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. Business operations managers make the most in Delaware with an average salary of $112,764. Whereas in Connecticut and Rhode Island, they would average $104,386 and $103,979, respectively. While business operations managers would only make an average of $103,422 in New Jersey, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. District of Columbia

Total Business Operations Manager Jobs: 457
Highest 10% Earn:
$177,000
Location Quotient:
1.18

$108,163

Avg. Salary

View 457 Business Operations Manager Jobs In DC

2. Connecticut

Total Business Operations Manager Jobs: 673
Highest 10% Earn:
$167,000
Location Quotient:
0.88

$104,386

Avg. Salary

View 673 Business Operations Manager Jobs In CT

3. Delaware

Total Business Operations Manager Jobs: 212
Highest 10% Earn:
$182,000
Location Quotient:
0.73

$112,764

Avg. Salary

View 212 Business Operations Manager Jobs In DE
Full List Of Best States For Business Operations Managers

How Do Business Operations Managers Rate Their Jobs?

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Top Business Operations Manager Employers

Most Common Employers For Business Operations Manager

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Meta$186,054$89.4538
2ZS$176,081$84.6530
3Microsoft$149,595$71.9225
4LinkedIn$144,120$69.2961
5Cisco$135,966$65.37239
6Intel$133,160$64.0246
7Arrow Electronics$127,616$61.3531
8IBM$122,217$58.7696
9HP$118,274$56.8643
10Motorola Solutions$116,050$55.7943
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Business Operations Manager Videos

Operations Management Careers in Business
Career Advice on becoming an Operations Manager by Bruce R (Full Version)

Becoming a Business Operations Manager FAQs

How Long Does It Take To Become A Business Operations Manager?

It takes 7 to 9 years to become an operations manager. Most operations managers have completed an undergraduate degree and have at least 3 to 5 years of experience.

The pathway to becoming an operations manager typically involves a combination of education, certification (sometimes), and experience on the job.

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

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Updated April 6, 2023