How to Become a Senior Operations Manager

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.

Since operations management refers to careers focused on coordinating logistics, planning, and overseeing projects or the functioning of an office, people who want a career in operations management should have excellent communication and analytical skills.

Operations management roles are common in human resources, production departments, manufacturing industries, financial services, business administration, and project development. Therefore a person should seek to gain knowledge and experience in an industry that is most interesting and engaging to them.

Finally, a person should cultivate their leadership ability. Any job in management will require some level of skill at supervising and managing a team. These skills include promoting team morale, handling team problems, and ensuring successful projects. A person who wants to have a career in operations management should have all three.

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.

For example, in non-manufacturing environments, operations managers may spend most of their time dealing with staffing issues and developing company policies meant to reduce costs.

Conversely, operations managers who work in compliance and take responsibility for staff and end-product safety, such as manufacturing, scientific research, or tech, typically get paid more.

Industries pay operations managers the most.

• Central banks and other monetary authorities

• Finance and investing

• Scientific research

• Communications equipment manufacturing

• Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing

• Business

• Computer systems design

A senior operations manager is the position that manages the establishment and administration of operational services, programs, and initiatives. They differ from operations managers in that they have more responsibility and oversight.

The senior operations manager is ultimately responsible for strategizing the best ways to achieve operational goals. Their primary responsibilities are focused on one or more broadly defined core functional areas, such as staff human and resources management or business development and management.

The senior operations manager is the liaison between the first level of management and senior leadership. They ensure that company-wide initiatives make their way down to actual practice in operations.

They will collaborate directly with senior leadership to develop strategies to enhance the value and cost-effectiveness of all outcomes within the functional area of operation.

They will assume a leadership role to ensure that programs and services are in compliance with relevant laws and regulations, policies, and best practices and that they are in direct support of the overall goals and objectives of the enterprise.

The career path for an operations manager typically starts with gaining direct experience in both business and operations areas. Generally, a person will start by gaining a bachelor's degree in business or another relevant degree.

To become an operations manager, a person needs both a degree and direct on-the-job experience, and they should exhibit leadership skills and an ability to think about the wider picture of business goals.

An operations manager needs to have holistic business skills, often obtained through an operations management course, as well as knowledge of multiple departments in various functions, ensuring that each part seamlessly works together to produce a productive and profitable machine.

Once a person becomes an operations manager, they have several career moves they can make. They can continue to become a senior operations manager, director of operations, and even COO. Or they can pivot and transition to process managers or purchasing managers.

Operations manager is typically a mid-level management role. While this depends on the size and structure of the company, these roles are typically for people who already have some experience leading a team.

Supervisor roles are usually below operations manager, while senior operations managers are typically in roles above the operations manager. This means an operations manager holds a vital position in a business as they are the front-line managers that implement operational goals into the workforce.

This leadership role involves significant responsibility for ensuring the efficient production of goods and services. Depending on the company's size, an operations manager oversees multiple departments within their company, acting as the go-to person for directing and coordinating day-to-day operations.

In addition, the operations manager is responsible for ensuring each department is on track for achieving its short- and long-term goals. This mid-level management role requires a significant amount of experience, leadership skills, and knowledge of the company.