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How to hire a senior operations manager

Senior operations manager hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring senior operations managers in the United States:

  • There are currently 339,600 senior operations managers in the US, as well as 247,414 job openings.
  • Senior operations managers are in the highest demand in New York, NY, with 91 current job openings.
  • The median cost to hire a senior operations manager is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new senior operations manager to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a senior operations manager, step by step

To hire a senior operations manager, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a senior operations manager:

Here's a step-by-step senior operations manager hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a senior operations manager job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior operations manager
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior operations manager do?

A senior operations manager oversees the business operations within a particular department or establishment, ensuring that all procedures adhere to the policies and standards of the company. There are also instances when they must evaluate workers' performances, set budget and sales targets, produce progress reports and assessments, and coordinate with high-ranking officials. Moreover, a senior operations manager leads by motivating the workforce and devising strategies to improve the workflow and reach sales targets within the deadline. Should there be any issues, they must carry out corrective measures right away.

Learn more about the specifics of what a senior operations manager does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your senior operations manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a senior operations manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a senior operations manager to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a senior operations manager that fits the bill.

    The following list breaks down different types of senior operations managers and their corresponding salaries.

    Type of Senior Operations ManagerDescriptionHourly rate
    Senior Operations ManagerTop executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.$43-84
    General Manager Of OperationsGeneral managers of operations are employed to oversee the overall operations of businesses. Their responsibilities include the improvement of the efficiency of the operations and overall management... Show more$23-79
    Group ManagerGroup Managers are employees who oversee a specific department, team, or any group in the company. They are usually tenured employees or industry experts... Show more$37-85
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Customer Service
    • Project Management
    • Continuous Improvement
    • Oversight
    • Process Improvement
    • Logistics
    • Patients
    • KPIs
    • Customer Satisfaction
    • Lean Six Sigma
    • Direct Reports
    • Sigma
    • Human Resources
    • Financial Performance
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Organize efforts of team to achieve ACD productivity goals.
    • Manage the build-out and daily operations of a network operations center (NOC).
    • Manage and coordinate the staff for better inventory and stores management up to the ISO standard.
    • Manage existing department service contracts for facilities including cleaning, exterminating, security and HVAC.
    • Create and manage departmental SharePoint sites, utilizing electronic tools to track productivity and increase efficiency.
    • Manage employees to ensure efficient sortation of packages through the facility, minimizing operational cost and maximizing operational quality.
    More senior operations manager duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your senior operations manager job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A senior operations manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

    For example, the average salary for a senior operations manager in Nebraska may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level senior operations manager usually earns less than a senior-level senior operations manager. Additionally, a senior operations manager with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

    Average senior operations manager salary

    $126,839yearly

    $60.98 hourly rate

    Entry-level senior operations manager salary
    $91,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 19, 2025

    Average senior operations manager salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1New Jersey$149,639$72
    2California$146,387$70
    3Washington$142,516$69
    4Massachusetts$140,329$67
    5District of Columbia$140,190$67
    6New York$136,487$66
    7North Carolina$126,839$61
    8Virginia$126,761$61
    9Colorado$125,978$61
    10Nevada$123,908$60
    11Pennsylvania$123,897$60
    12Ohio$122,043$59
    13Maryland$121,500$58
    14Illinois$120,942$58
    15Arizona$118,877$57
    16Texas$118,275$57
    17Minnesota$118,259$57
    18Michigan$117,103$56
    19Georgia$116,417$56
    20Oregon$114,053$55

    Average senior operations manager salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Airbnb$165,056$79.351
    2Levi Strauss & Co.$162,310$78.0323
    3Apple$161,066$77.4440
    4Boston Consulting Group$159,952$76.904
    5Accenture$159,834$76.841,695
    6Atwood Oceanics$158,229$76.07
    7Google$157,855$75.89141
    8Fundbox$152,545$73.34
    9PayPal$152,372$73.268
    10Genentech$152,149$73.1517
    11Exelixis$152,067$73.114
    12UST Global$151,062$72.63
    13Radial$150,189$72.213
    14Biogen$149,879$72.063
    15Cloudflare$149,775$72.015
    16The Walt Disney Company$149,551$71.9043
    17Palo Alto Networks$149,259$71.7649
    18Zoox$148,369$71.3322
    19Sarepta Therapeutics$148,252$71.285
    20Ampere$147,992$71.15
  4. Writing a senior operations manager job description

    A senior operations manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a senior operations manager job description:

    Senior operations manager job description example

    About:
    Macy's is proudly America's Department Store. For more than 160 years, Macy's has served generations at every stage of their lives. Customers come to us for fashion, value, and celebration.

    Macy's gives our customers the ability to choose their shopping experience - in our stores, on our site, and through our app. Macy's global Supply Chain manages the end-to-end process of getting products to our customers, no matter how they choose to shop. We deliver high-quality products to our customers wherever needed, whether in-store, curbside, or right at their doorstep. Every colleague in Supply Chain plays a vital role in creating a positive customer experience. This is an opportunity to build a dynamic career across various disciplines in a field marked by rapid change, challenge, and continuous innovation.

    Job Overview:

    The Facility Senior Manager plays a crucial role in exceeding expectations and providing a superb customer experience. This is a multi-faceted role requiring the ability to balance strategy and execution. The Facility Senior Manager will lead all facets of the DC with responsibility for the Store Delivery, Reverse Logistics, Furniture, Bedding and Fulfillment operations. This role will also work in collaboration with Finance, Human Resources, Systems, and our business partners (merchant partners, carriers and vendors), while coordinating and overseeing the day-to-day facility 4- Wall operational management.

    Essential Functions:

    • Responsibility for the financial, operational, safety and service performance for the entire distribution center.

    • Provide leadership and support to facility team and ensure policies and procedures are communicated and executed consistently.

    • Provide leadership and support to achieve functional departments KPI goals and customer service level goals, by ensuring individual and department productivity rates and quality expectations are met.

    • Continually analyze work processes to identify optimization opportunities and implement process improvements.

    • Develop and maintain a highly motivated team and positive work culture that is successful and committed to superior customer service.

    • Lead the efforts of our Employee Resource Groups and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion mission and vision.

    • Knowledge of warehouse management and supply chain/logistics trends.

    • Responsible for driving and managing the change associated with organizational growth.

    • Provide effective logistics support to retail division customers and build a strong working relationship with the store and merchant groups

    • Ensure delivery standards are being met by third party delivery service

    • Maintain OSHA compliance and excellent safety processes, providing a safe work environment for staff. Develops and enforces Safe /Smart work practices.

    • Performs other related duties, special projects or assignments as required.

    Qualifications and Competencies:

    • Bachelor's Degree

    • Practices open and continuous communication, values keeping others informed, effectively presenting information in a clear, concise manner.

    • Ability to effectively plan and execute strategies.

    • Ability to solve problems as well as recognize issues and deal with them directly

    • Ability to work a flexible schedule, including day, evening, weekends, and/or holidays

    • Excellent leadership, facilitation, coaching and interpersonal skills.

    • Ability to build and foster diverse teams, gain commitment from others and effectively manage the decision-making process

    • Experience with cross-functional collaboration at many levels.

    • Excellent analytical skills. Must be proficient in MS Office computer programs

    • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

    Physical Requirements:

    • Position requires prolonged periods of standing/walking around facility or department

    • Frequent use of computers and other technology necessary to perform job duties, including handheld electronic equipment.

    • May involve reaching, crouching, kneeling, stooping and color vision

    • Frequently lift/move up to 25lbs

    WAREHOUSE00

    Supply Chain Only and Colleagues Working in a Supply Chain Facility except in locations governed by a Collective Bargaining Agreement:

    Random drug testing for all colleagues will be conducted on a monthly or semi-monthly basis, depending upon factors including but not limited to the size of the facility and the number of colleagues on roll. Colleagues will be randomly selected for testing by a third party. Testing must be completed on the same workday the colleague is informed of selection for testing, absent extenuating circumstances. In all circumstances, testing must be completed within 24 hours of notification.

    Candidates in Colorado: Click here for Pay Range and here to learn about Benefits .

    Candidates in Connecticut: Click here for Pay Range

    Candidates in Nevada: Click here for Pay Range

  5. Post your job

    There are a few common ways to find senior operations managers for your business:

    • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
    • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
    • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your senior operations manager job on Zippia to find and recruit senior operations manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Your first interview with senior operations manager candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior operations manager

    Once you've found the senior operations manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

    It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    To prepare for the new senior operations manager first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a senior operations manager?

Before you start to hire senior operations managers, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire senior operations managers pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

The median annual salary for senior operations managers is $126,839 in the US. However, the cost of senior operations manager hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a senior operations manager for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $43 and $84 an hour.

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