How long does it take to become an Operations Director?

It takes 9 years of professional experience to become an operations director. That is the time it takes to learn specific operations director 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 12 to 14 years years to become an operations director.

How do I start a career in operations management?

To start a career in operations management, a person should pursue a bachelor's degree in business administration or a related field. While a student in college, a person should pursue an internship and experience in business and office environments.

What does an operations director do?

An operations director is responsible for everything from negotiations, budgeting, and purchasing. They should be especially skilled at developing long-term operational strategies and working closely with senior management to meet company objectives.

What is an operations director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Eric Olsen

An operations director is a senior executive responsible for the day-to-day operations of a company. They oversee all operational processes, including production, supply chain management, quality control, and customer service. An operations director works closely with other departments to ensure that business goals are met and compliant with regulations. They also develop strategies to improve productivity and increase revenue. An operations director leads and motivates their team to achieve high performance.

What general advice would you give to an operations director?

Eric Olsen

Professor, Industrial Technology and Packaging, Orfalea College of Business

Times of change are also times of great opportunities. We are going to need new technical solutions to address problems we are just learning about. You have to lean into the issues. Don't be a technologist - be a problem solver. That is why we also emphasize soft skills like lean six sigma, teamwork, and change management.

ScoreOperations DirectorUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $104,050

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.6

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 6.29%

Black or African American 6.10%

Hispanic or Latino 14.90%

Unknown 4.33%

White 67.91%

Gender

female 29.44%

male 70.56%

Age - 44

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 - 44

Stress level

9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

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

Pros

Ability to make important decisions that impact the company
Exposure to senior management and board members
Opportunities for professional development and advancement
Access to valuable industry knowledge and trends
Potential for job stability and security

Cons

Responsibility for multiple areas of the business
Difficulties in balancing competing priorities and demands
High levels of accountability for the success or failure of projects
Potential for conflicts with team members or other departments
Possibility of having to make difficult decisions that may negatively impact employees or the company

Key steps to become an operations director

Explore operations director education requirements

Most common operations director degrees

Bachelor's

66.5 %

Master's

14.3 %

Associate

12.3 %

Start to develop specific operations director skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	12.37%
Continuous Improvement	6.64%
Oversight	6.54%
Patients	5.80%
Project Management	4.74%

Complete relevant operations director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New operations directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an operations director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real operations director resumes.

Gain additional operations director certifications

Operations director certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific operations director certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for operations directors include Six Sigma Green Belt and Project Management Professional (PMP).

More About Certifications

Research operations director duties and responsibilities

Manage KPI reports from all warranty companies to ensure increasing sales and productivity.
Spearhead governance, security and compliance initiatives to achieve SOX and PCI compliance.
Manage a PMO style team to implement any changes across the global contact centers.
Develop all marketing strategies and materials as well as personally managing key OEM and national accounts.

Get operations director experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become an operations director. The most common roles before becoming an operations director include general manager, operations manager team lead and manager.

Prepare your operations director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your operations director 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 director 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 director resume templates

Build a professional operations director 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 director resume.

Apply for operations director jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an operations director 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 directors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Operations director reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2023

Pros

The management side and being in control

Cons

When I have to solve other contractors problems in order to keep my people on ground working with no interruption.

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Pros

Positions cares such important function as a customer advocacy and customer servant

Cons

Operations never stops, its always up and running and you have to be available at any time

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019

Pros

I love being able to mold my team and the distribution center to the culture of respect and accountability! Having senior and executive leadership support is a huge positive factor in making this happen!!

Cons

Long hours and calls outside of regular business hours are the norm!

What is an operations director and how to become one

What general advice would you give to an operations director?

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

Operations director career paths

Key steps to become an operations director

Explore operations director education requirements

Most common operations director degrees

Start to develop specific operations director skills

Complete relevant operations director training and internships

Gain additional operations director certifications

Research operations director duties and responsibilities

Get operations director experience

Prepare your operations director resume

Choose from 10+ customizable operations director resume templates

Apply for operations director jobs

How did you land your first operations director job

Average operations director salary

How do operations directors rate their job?

Operations director reviews

Operations director FAQs

How long does it take to become an Operations Director?

How do I start a career in operations management?

What does an operations director do?

Search for operations director jobs

Operations director jobs by state