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Director/operations manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Karen Kus,

Nina Woodard

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical director/operations manager skills. We ranked the top skills for director/operations managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 13.5% of director/operations manager resumes contained customer service as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a director/operations manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 director/operations manager skills for your resume and career

1. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how director/operations managers use customer service:

Planned and implemented financial, operational and customer service synergies between the properties to maximize profitability for the investors.
Develop and implement quality customer service first environments, attaining significant levels of customer retention.

2. Financial Statements

A financial statement is a report of an individual or a company that includes all the information about the declared assets, the use of money, income, and also the contribution of shareholders over a certain period.

Here's how director/operations managers use financial statements:

Reviewed financial statements and data and utilized financial data to improve profitability.
Produced monthly financial statements based on expenditures from the annual approved budget.

3. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how director/operations managers use payroll:

Submitted bi-weekly timekeeping to corporate and followed up once payroll was received with resolutions to payroll related problems.
Created payroll analysis, which eliminated unnecessary overtimes and increased profits.

4. Safety Program

Safety programs are a series of measures to protect employees from any mishaps and make the work environment safer. Safety programs include checklists, guidelines, and direct procedures that a specific area or department must follow. Safety programs take care of office space safety, maintenance and repairs, and identification of frauds as well.

Here's how director/operations managers use safety program:

Administered preventative maintenance programs, implemented safety program and staffed quality control studies.
Developed Safety programs and initiatives that decreased accidents in the laboratory.

5. ISO

Here's how director/operations managers use iso:

Establish Engineering Procedures for ISO certification.
Trained and developed a reporting management team member into the role of ISO Management Representative.

6. Logistics

Logistics is a complete organization and implementation of a problem. Logistics are often considered in a complex business operation, as some works need detailed plannings. Logistics are also used in military action.

Here's how director/operations managers use logistics:

Developed an all-inclusive logistics solution for outbound material domestically and abroad to curtail wasteful spending and enforce timing and efficiency.
Negotiated logistics contracts to decrease transportation costs.

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7. R

R is a free software environment and a language used by programmers for statistical computing. The R programming language is famously used for data analysis by data scientists.

Here's how director/operations managers use r:

Major customers include Wal-Mart, Target and Toys R Us.
Teach in new and engaging ways through research-based methods Project-based learning differentiated instruction.References for Valerie R MillerDr.

8. Oversight

Having oversight of someone means to monitor a process or a situation. If someone has oversight of something, they are responsible for the completion of the project. Oversight is usually given to experts as they monitor their juniors or newbies as they go through a project.

Here's how director/operations managers use oversight:

Administered personnel and operational demands, from hiring and on-air talent contract negotiations to programming/promotion budget oversight and sales/marketing strategy.
General Operations Management: Provide expert oversight to the preparation of books as well as overall accounting responsibilities.

9. Human Resources

Human resources is a set of people in a business or a corporation that are designated to locate, interview, and recruit new employees into the company. They are also responsible to maintain the integrity of the employees and help them sort their problems out. They try to introduce and manage employee-benefit programs.

Here's how director/operations managers use human resources:

Direct responsibility for Manufacturing Operations, Materials, and Human Resources that resulted in consistent annual profitability.
Managed all operations which included human resources, housekeeping, security, public relations, food service and finances.

10. A/P

A/P stands for Accounts Payable. It refers to the money owed to other individuals or businesses for products or services purchased on credit. Accounts payable is mentioned under the current liabilities section of a balance sheet.

Here's how director/operations managers use a/p:

Managed all invoices, A/P, A/R and other accounting duties.
Organized A/R and A/P and communicated with in-house bookkeeper.

11. Training Programs

Here's how director/operations managers use training programs:

Lead Employee Management and Resource Management Systems; by developing and executing property management departmental training programs.
Coordinated, administered and implemented comprehensive training programs in occupational, industrial and environmental safety.

12. Sigma

In Greek alphabets, sigma is the 18th letter that means "to sum up". In statistics, the lower case symbol of sigma is the unit of measurement for standard deviation which is used to assess the variability in a given set of data. While the upper case symbol is for summation notation means to add up all the given numbers in the data set.

Here's how director/operations managers use sigma:

Recovered sufficient square footage to add 2 additional manufacturing flow lines utilizing Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma practices.
Initiated Lean/Six Sigma initiatives and redesigned internal processes for efficiency and cost reduction.

13. Inventory Control

Here's how director/operations managers use inventory control:

Inventory Management: Supervise the operation of inventory control system and prepare accurate reports of results.
Coordinated functions with national Human Resource, Finance, Information Systems, and Distribution/Inventory Control Departments.

14. Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is an ongoing process of improvement of products, services, and processes with the help of innovative ideas. It is an organized approach that helps an organization to find its weaknesses and improve them.

Here's how director/operations managers use continuous improvement:

Coordinate and ensure the proper execution of site Strategy Deployment and annual Continuous Improvement initiatives in support of Gallo Business objectives.
Create and articulate a vision of operational excellence throughout the facility and deliver results through continuous improvement projects.

15. Process Improvement

Here's how director/operations managers use process improvement:

Develop annual operating objectives, quality control systems, and ensure that product and process improvement opportunities are realized.
Drive feature prioritization, process improvements, and product requirements to improve product effectiveness and usability over time.

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What skills help Director/Operations Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on director/operations manager resumes?

Karen Kus

Assistant Director of Career Services, SUNY Potsdam

Employers hiring candidates with a history degree are seeking transferable skills that can be applied in various roles and settings. These skills include writing, communication, research, organization, computer-based skills, and problem-solving. The best thing a candidate can do to increase marketability is to elaborate on how they obtained or utilized those skills, rather than simply listing them. Employers need to have an understanding of how you made use of your skill and what results came from your actions. Make these skills shine on your resume by giving them substance.

What director/operations manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Nina Woodard

Senior Career Development Specialist, Belmont University

For entertainment, digital marketing and content creation skills are critical. Even if a role isn't specifically connected to digital marketing, social media is almost always involved in most entry-level roles. We strongly encourage students and recent graduates to learn basic graphic design platforms, video editing and audio editing. Learning how to maximize impact on social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram or TikTok is also a worthy investment of time. There's a wide range of self-paced training resources online, many available for free or at reduced costs for students.

What type of skills will young director/operations managers need?

Craig Nathanson Ph.D.

Adjunct Lecturer, Sonoma State University

I see the essential human skills gaining importance to build a new post-covid work life. These include creativity, leading and working in teams, writing, speaking, being self-aware, and lowering bias and networking; career branding as critical areas for graduates to focus on now.

What technical skills for a director/operations manager stand out to employers?

Dr. Mary Kern Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College - City University of New York

- Clearly, the ability to use different forms of communication technology has become key, and as these forms evolve rapidly, employers are look for an ability to adapt, adopt, and teach them to their colleagues.

- Evidence-based management and decision-making are playing a much larger role in organizations, and thus the ability to work with quantitative data to understand situations and to help make decisions is crucial.

What soft skills should all director/operations managers possess?

Steven Bauer

Visiting Professor of Marketing, Pepperdine University, Seaver College

The new hybrid world will make leading teams more challenging. This reality will put a premium on interpersonal skills. When the NASA astronaut, Richard Arnold, spoke at Pepperdine in 2019, he mentioned that team building was the single most important ability undergraduates could develop to become a good astronaut. The same holds for graduates wanting to go into business, particularly in the post coronavirus era. As part of their skills in this area, graduates will also need to be able and committed to addressing issues in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Do you want to know more?

List of director/operations manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a director/operations manager resume and required skills for a director/operations manager to have include:

Customer Service
Financial Statements
Payroll
Safety Program
ISO
Logistics
R
Oversight
Human Resources
A/P
Training Programs
Sigma
Inventory Control
Continuous Improvement
Process Improvement
Business Operations

POS
Cost Savings
Business Development
Front Desk
Direct Reports
Inventory Management
Cost Reduction
Business Plan
Customer Relations
HVAC
Facebook
Performance Reviews
KPI
FCC
Event Planning
QA

SEO
Disciplinary Actions
Financial Reports
Staff Training
Product Development
Client Relations
ERP
Labor Costs
Professional Development
Customer Complaints
QuickBooks
Financial Performance
Contract Negotiations
Party Management
Community Events
ROI

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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