What is an operations coordinator and how to become one

Q: How long does it take to become an Operations Coordinator?

It takes 5 years of professional experience to become an operations coordinator. That is the time it takes to learn specific operations coordinator skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 8 to 10 years years to become an operations coordinator.

Q: Do you need a degree to be an operations coordinator?

Yes, you typically need a degree to be an operations coordinator. Smaller companies may hire you with just a high school degree if you have the right experience, but most employers require postsecondary education.

Q: How much do operations coordinators make?

Operations coordinators make about $45,261 per year or $21.76 per hour. On the lower end of the salary range, they might make around $32,000. On the higher end, they can make around $63,000. As most jobs go, location, industry, and experience can factor into salary.

Q: How much should an operations manager be paid?

An operations manager should be paid $85,660 or higher. However, differences in pay rates can range from as high as $180,000 to as low as $50,000. The big discrepancy in salaries results from the differences in the operations manager's type of role from one industry to another.

Q: What degree do you need to be a coordinator?

You do not need a degree to be a coordinator. A person can begin working as a junior project coordinator with just a high school diploma or GED. The industry, however, tends to favor applicants with a four-year degree.

Q: What is a team operations coordinator?

A team operations coordinator fulfills administrative roles that help facilitate the organization's daily functions and operations. Team coordinators usually work closely with the team leader to keep the team running smoothly.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Matthew Gilbert,

Sonja Armbruster

An operations coordinator supervises all aspects of business operations, including logistics, procurement, and customer service. They work closely with other departments to ensure all processes are streamlined and efficient. An operations coordinator is also tasked with managing budgets, developing policies, and implementing quality control measures. They must have excellent problem-solving skills and be able to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment. Communication and leadership are also crucial for an operations coordinator.

What general advice would you give to an operations coordinator?

Matthew Gilbert

Lecturer of Marketing, Coastal Carolina University

The unique circumstances caused by COVID-19 have impacted every area of our lives. New graduates will likely find themselves in a more challenging situation than was the case previously. Given this, I encourage graduates who are just beginning their careers to be ACES: adaptive, communicative, effective, and supportive. ACES is a slang term meaning being highly regarded; in the context of the suggested acronym, consider the following explanation.

Adaptive: Remain open to top unexpected opportunities. Venturing into a new normal requires flexibility and openness; this could mean taking a job that wasn't considered, but recognizing it could yield skills, connections, and experience that could be useful in future endeavors.

Communicative: Leverage LinkedIn to network professionally and politely for opportunities, but don't connect with someone and immediately ask for a job. Call your contacts and catch up without a specific agenda; you never know what ideas might emerge. Email individuals, you respect for insights and advice.

Effective: Make use of your time to learn new skills or acquire certifications that demonstrate the value you can add to an organization. Consider volunteering for a cause close to your heart; it makes you feel better, but you could connect personally and/or professionally with new people.

Supportive: Finding a job in a normal year is challenging enough, but in a pandemic, it's an entirely different experience. Keep in contact with your friends and fellow graduates; even a short message asking how they're doing or inviting them to a social distance coffee together could brighten a day you didn't know was dark for someone else.

ScoreOperations CoordinatorUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $41,934

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.43%

Asian 8.83%

Black or African American 6.36%

Hispanic or Latino 9.39%

Unknown 4.56%

White 70.43%

Gender

female 55.08%

male 44.92%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an operations coordinator?

Pros

Opportunity for career growth
Exposure to different areas of the business
Good salary and benefits
Opportunities to learn new skills and technologies
Flexibility to work remotely or from home

Cons

Can be stressful due to tight timelines and budgets
Need to be available outside of regular business hours
Constantly changing priorities and deadlines
Dealing with difficult stakeholders or customers
Can require extensive travel or being away from home for extended periods

Key steps to become an operations coordinator

Explore operations coordinator education requirements

Most common operations coordinator degrees

Bachelor's

66.1 %

Associate

15.6 %

Master's

7.8 %

Start to develop specific operations coordinator skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	21.26%
Logistics	6.09%
Excellent Organizational	5.51%
PowerPoint	5.17%
Data Entry	5.15%

Research operations coordinator duties and responsibilities

Manage processing of all branch transactions involving A/R, A/P, inventory and equipment.
Arrange regional sales functions, reporting and tracking expenses, including hiring adequate staff and vendors to accomplish target ROI.
Manage all aspects of design and vendor sourcing to create and deliver SalesForce code, marketing materials and campaigns within budget.
Manage redesign of SalesForce database and reconfiguration of data and objects to maximize functionality.

Prepare your operations coordinator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your operations coordinator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an operations coordinator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable operations coordinator resume templates

Build a professional operations coordinator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your operations coordinator resume.

Apply for operations coordinator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an operations coordinator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do operations coordinators rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Operations coordinator reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2022

Pros

The company I work for is it very small company but very generous to its employees. Has great benefits that start out right away wonderful training programs. And does a great service for our community.

Cons

I I wish the wages were a little higher.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

Being an important COG into the system. The dynamic work flow ensures that you are always well vested into the multiple projects you will assist in facilitating resources too.

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020

Pros

I love the people I work with, the ability my job give me to think critically, and being challenged to problem solve.

Cons

Work seems to be none-stop sometimes, especially since we are under staff. Work keeps me on my feed, but need to hire more people.

What is an operations coordinator and how to become one

What general advice would you give to an operations coordinator?

What are the pros and cons of being an operations coordinator?

Operations coordinator career paths

Key steps to become an operations coordinator

Explore operations coordinator education requirements

Most common operations coordinator degrees

Start to develop specific operations coordinator skills

Research operations coordinator duties and responsibilities

Prepare your operations coordinator resume

Choose from 10+ customizable operations coordinator resume templates

Apply for operations coordinator jobs

How did you land your first operations coordinator job

Average operations coordinator salary

How do operations coordinators rate their job?

Operations coordinator reviews

Operations coordinator FAQs

How long does it take to become an Operations Coordinator?

Do you need a degree to be an operations coordinator?

How much do operations coordinators make?

How much should an operations manager be paid?

What degree do you need to be a coordinator?

What is a team operations coordinator?

Search for operations coordinator jobs

Operations coordinator jobs by state