What does a senior director, operations do?
The senior director of operations generally works with other managers to set goals for the future of the company and evaluates performance to check whether certain goals are achieved. They are responsible for making sure that operational processes are within the prescribed budget and timeline. Also, they oversee, implement, and evaluate operation processes and procedures to see if they comply with the set standards and procedures of the company. Additionally, they lead in developing strategies and implementation plans to enhance and standardize all units of operations.
Senior director, operations responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior director, operations resumes:
- Design and manage systems and processes to deliver consistent, scalable and compliant with SOX and other regulations.
- Manage PMO with responsibility for performance management, resource and portfolio management.
- Manage new product co-development program with a major medical device company that enable remote surgical oversight and support.
- Finance and billing accountability across Medicaid, manage care commercial insurance, insurance verification, contract management, and benefits administration.
- Introduce KPIs to raise performance in business development, supply chain, and CRM - aligning CRM with long-term strategy.
- Steer RapidApp, a mid-size mobile SaaS platform, through the acquisition process.
- Develop training program to ensure quality and consistency while meeting A2LA and ISO requirements.
- Collaborate with clients writing customize Dbase and SQL applications for use at various customer sites.
- Introduce KPI's, formal call monitoring and monthly performance appraisal process (QA program).
- Facilitate the ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications without incurring a single nonconformity in 4 external audits.
- Serve as the principal contact and escort for all inspections, including those perform by the FDA, DEA and MCA.
- Redesign entire securities processing model.
- Create incoming logistics plans to assure inventory availability at the lowest possible investment.
- Implement KPI reporting package that review agent productivity as well as property operations.
- Enlist to improve quality for specialty pharmaceutical company following poor performance during FDA inspection.
Senior director, operations skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Senior Directors, Operations are proficient in Customer Service, Oversight, and Continuous Improvement. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Management skills.
We break down the percentage of Senior Directors, Operations that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 8%
Coordinated major cross-functional activities and functionality enhancements with Creative, Marketing, Merchandising, Customer Service and Distribution Center teams.
- Oversight, 7%
Managed new product co-development program with a major medical device company that enabled remote surgical oversight and support.
- Continuous Improvement, 6%
Evaluate current and potential suppliers and ensure continuous improvement through training, planning and implementation of necessary corrective and preventive actions.
- SR, 6%
Promoted to Sr. Director after successful implementation of several business process improvements.
- Project Management, 5%
Applied and enforced quality project management (time management, organization, tracking, interdepartmental communication), Financial Management.
- Process Improvement, 4%
Tracked supply chain management and creation of initiatives to operate by lean six sigma principles resulting in continuous operational process improvements.
"customer service," "oversight," and "continuous improvement" are among the most common skills that senior directors, operations use at work. You can find even more senior director, operations responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a senior director, operations to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what senior directors, operations do because "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." Additionally, a senior director, operations resume shows how senior directors, operations use communication skills: "compiled cmc data, authored cmc sections for cder nda filings and fda communications leading to product registration. "
Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling senior director, operations duties is leadership skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "top executives must be able to shape and direct an organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources." According to a senior director, operations resume, here's how senior directors, operations can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "key member of cross functional customer care executive leadership project team developing customer policies and procedures across enterprise. "
Problem-solving skills. A big part of what senior directors, operations do relies on "problem-solving skills." You can see how essential it is to senior director, operations responsibilities because "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical senior director, operations tasks: "provided training and solved complex issues adapting current business processes to the new enterprise system. "
Time-management skills. Another common skill required for senior director, operations responsibilities is "time-management skills." This skill comes up in the duties of senior directors, operations all the time, as "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." An excerpt from a real senior director, operations resume shows how this skill is central to what a senior director, operations does: "streamlined service delivery processes to slash client activation time from 2 months to 10 days. "
The three companies that hire the most senior director, operationss are:
- Randstad North America, Inc.79 senior directors, operations jobs
- Oracle50 senior directors, operations jobs
- Balfour Senior Living24 senior directors, operations jobs
Compare different senior directors, operations
Senior director, operations vs. Operations manager, district
A district operations manager is a managerial professional who manages the daily operations of stores within the assigned district as well as provides support to managers in ensuring quality and budget performance. The district operations manager must work with the store management to create and implement action plans to address deficiencies discovered during a store audit. They are required to evaluate areas of operational concern and provide support during the implementation of solutions. District operations managers must also create a cooperative environment between operations and sales departments to motivate all employees to enhance customer service.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between senior directors, operations and operations manager, district. For instance, senior director, operations responsibilities require skills such as "customer service," "continuous improvement," "sr," and "project management." Whereas a operations manager, district is skilled in "performance reviews," "succession planning," "team training," and "store management." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Operations managers, district tend to make the most money working in the retail industry, where they earn an average salary of $87,812. In contrast, senior directors, operations make the biggest average salary, $155,611, in the hospitality industry.The education levels that operations managers, district earn slightly differ from senior directors, operations. In particular, operations managers, district are 12.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a senior director, operations. Additionally, they're 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior director, operations vs. Operations program manager
The role of operations program managers is to help improve organizational efficiency, particularly in the areas of administrative, financial, and programmatic operations. Their key duties and responsibilities include overseeing the collection, analysis, and reporting of data, overseeing and leading teams to achieve business goals, and managing the development and execution of operational procedures. In addition, they are responsible for developing and monitoring dashboards to measure business health and assisting with planning, reporting, and budgeting.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real senior director, operations resumes. While senior director, operations responsibilities can utilize skills like "sr," "financial performance," "strategic direction," and "product development," operations program managers use skills like "program management," "infrastructure," "excellent interpersonal," and "ops."
Operations program managers may earn a lower salary than senior directors, operations, but operations program managers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $109,929. On the other hand, senior directors, operations receive higher pay in the hospitality industry, where they earn an average salary of $155,611.operations program managers earn similar levels of education than senior directors, operations in general. They're 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior director, operationss in the next 3-5 years?
Eric Olsen
Professor, Industrial Technology and Packaging, Orfalea College of Business
Senior director, operations vs. Operations support manager
Operations Support Managers are employees who handle different support initiatives for the employees or operations-related departments. These support initiatives may come in people management and upskilling, IT infrastructure assistance, or process improvement, among others. Operations Support Managers must have a deep understanding of company operations and the employees' needs. They manage processes and standards to ensure that company operations are fully supported and will not be disrupted. They resolve concerns and anticipate problems that may come. They can plan and create safeguards to ensure that such problems will not arise in the future.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from senior director, operations resumes include skills like "oversight," "continuous improvement," "sr," and "logistics," whereas an operations support manager is more likely to list skills in "support operations," "post implementation," "itil," and "strong analytical. "
Operations support managers earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $68,847. Senior directors, operations earn the highest pay from the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $155,611.operations support managers typically earn lower educational levels compared to senior directors, operations. Specifically, they're 7.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior director, operations vs. Operations vice president
The responsibilities of an operations vice president will revolve around overseeing business operations and ensuring workforce and workflow efficiency through evaluations and providing strategic plans that would drive the company to meet its vision and mission. An operations vice president, in adherence to the company policies and regulations, also has the power to hire and train employees, even to execute disciplinary actions such as termination or suspension when necessary. Furthermore, an operations vice president also has discretion in reviewing and approving reports and requirements in various aspects such as budgeting and new policies.
Types of senior director, operations
Updated January 8, 2025
