What does an operations associate do?
An operations associate is responsible for performing administrative and clerical tasks to support the organization's daily operations. An operations associate must have excellent organizational skills to perform various duties for different business functions under the supervision of an operations manager. Operations associates respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, prepare meeting reports, schedule appointments, assisting on payroll release, update employees' information on the database, process contract agreements, and help the senior management to identify business opportunities that would generate revenues.
Operations associate responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real operations associate resumes:
- Demonstrate ability to manage and organize clinical setting for patients and families.
- Meet minimum standards for compliance with AML laws and regulations.
- Organize and complete online LTL shipment orders for customers and vendors.
- Create new access, removing access, and act as SME for offshore staff.
- Perform preventative maintenance, as needed, to assist in the achievement of SLA contractual requirements.
- Communicate with LTL, TL carriers regarding billing/invoice, class, re weigh and other discrepancies.
- Support the installation and remediation of SQL /Oracle /Java and many other applications used by the financial industry.
- Add, match, and delete retailer POS records within proprietary database; ensure accuracy of raw data files
- Clear discontinued and old models in all of POS by returning to HQ or through special promotion sales.
- Collect data on consumer issues, produce settlement reports, and maintain daily inventory of consumer settlements via SQL banking database.
- Patrol industrial and commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows, and gates
- Assist with the implementing and monitoring of teller schedules and coverage of the windows especially at peak hours and lunch breaks.
- Coordinated/Assist IED-D SME by providing input and evaluation for an IED/Threat display lane available to training units in preparation for deployment.
- Recognize by DoD customer for exemplary support and operational expertise.
- Interpret established Medicare rules and regulations to render appropriate actions.
Operations associate skills and personality traits
We calculated that 28% of Operations Associates are proficient in Customer Service, Sales Floor, and Basic Math. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Organizational skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Operations Associates that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 28%
Coordinated and supported Operations Associate in shipping and receiving activities to ensure accuracy, integrity and optimum customer service.
- Sales Floor, 16%
Carried and placed recently delivered merchandise onto sales floor
- Basic Math, 14%
Perform basic mathematical computations to multiply ingredients in a recipe or to determine how many servings a container will hold.
- Portfolio, 13%
Provided administrative and support functions for general day-to-day office operations including portfolio maintenance, client interfacing, and documentation management.
- Work Ethic, 7%
Exhibited consummate professionalism and work ethic illustrated by fast promotion from Operations Associate to Senior Operations Associate within three-year period.
- Math, 6%
Register inventory Unload trucks Skills Used Time management General Math Skills Verbal Communication Customer Service Resolving Conflict Teamwork Client Relationships
Most operations associates use their skills in "customer service," "sales floor," and "basic math" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential operations associate responsibilities here:
Interpersonal skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an operations associate to have is interpersonal skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." Operations associates often use interpersonal skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "utilize customer service and interpersonal skills by ensuring high patient-and-family satisfaction and a positive team work atmosphere. "
Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform operations associate duties is organizational skills. Operations associates responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently." Operations associates also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "provide a high level of customer service, answering phones, maintain accurate product knowledge and good organizational skills. "
Writing skills. operations associates are also known for writing skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to operations associate responsibilities, because "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." An operations associate resume example shows how writing skills is used in the workplace: "completed several reports and approval data entry for the underwriting department upon request. "
The three companies that hire the most operations associates are:
- JCPenney1,295 operations associates jobs
- Kohl's522 operations associates jobs
- DICK'S Sporting Goods434 operations associates jobs
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Compare different operations associates
Operations associate vs. Business developer
A business developer specializes in conducting in-depth business analysis and crafting various strategies that would not just help a business grow, but also strengthen client base and brand awareness. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around identifying areas in need of improvement. They come up with new services that will boost customer satisfaction, examining the potential for revenue and figuring out new opportunities from trends or other pre-existing programs within the company. All of this is conducted according to the vision, mission, and policies of the organization.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, operations associate responsibilities require skills like "sales floor," "basic math," "portfolio," and "math." Meanwhile a typical business developer has skills in areas such as "healthcare," "crm," "excellent presentation," and "linkedin." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that business developers earn slightly differ from operations associates. In particular, business developers are 6.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an operations associate. Additionally, they're 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Operations associate vs. Contracts specialist
A contract specialist is responsible for evaluating contract agreements between the business and its clients. Contract specialists write beneficial deals that would develop good, professional working partnerships. They negotiate terms with clients, analyzing bid offers, review legislation processes and regulations, provide immediate resolution for breach of contracts, manage procurement proposals, and communicate with potential and existing clients for any amendments and clarifications. A contract specialist must have excellent communication and negotiation skills and broad knowledge of legal terminologies and contract styles.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real operations associate resumes. While operations associate responsibilities can utilize skills like "sales floor," "basic math," "portfolio," and "work ethic," contracts specialists use skills like "veterans," "dod," "contract administration," and "contract terms."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Contracts specialists tend to reach higher levels of education than operations associates. In fact, they're 7.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Operations associate vs. Senior specialist
A senior specialist is a financial professional responsible for assisting senior citizens in managing their economic activities. Senior specialists must manage a portfolio of investors to ensure that foreclosed properties are ready for title transfer and monetary reimbursements. To reach compliance goals, senior specialists must provide staff training on Microsoft Office suite and other software applications. They also handle customer complaints through phone or email and provide their customer with the proper solution.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an operations associate is likely to be skilled in "sales floor," "basic math," "portfolio," and "math," while a typical senior specialist is skilled in "sr," "java," "project management," and "windows."
Senior specialists typically earn higher educational levels compared to operations associates. Specifically, they're 5.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Operations associate vs. Principal consultant
A principal consultant is responsible for evaluating business' needs and opportunities, identifying potential leads to create project proposals, and maintaining strong business relationships that would generate revenues and increase the organization's profitability. Principal consultants must be up-to-date with the current market trends to ensure that the business adapts to the industry's changes. They also initiate new product development to expand its brand image, working closely with the marketing team for marketing strategies and promotions.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between operations associates and principal consultants, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an operations associate might have more use for skills like "customer service," "sales floor," "basic math," and "portfolio." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of principal consultants require skills like "cloud," "business development," "c #," and "customer satisfaction. "
Principal consultants reach higher levels of education compared to operations associates, in general. The difference is that they're 16.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.8% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of operations associate
Updated January 8, 2025
