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.
Senior operations manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior operations manager resumes:
- 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.
- Provide mentoring and career path development to NOC staff.
- Comply with all military, company, and DOD civilian safety directives.
- Maximize profitability by sourcing and overseeing the implementation of a new VoIP phone system.
- Maintain linux systems and Marchex software in accordance with industry best practices, focuse on performance, growth and scalability.
- Maintain ISO certification for assign area.
- Experience with PeopleSoft and Hyperion financial applications.
- Perform Kaizen test to improve operational efficiency in imaging center.
- Install necessary hardware and communications equipment for clinical and Unix base platforms.
- Provide comprehensive monthly reporting on all KPIs to executive level management to support corporate initiatives.
Senior operations manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Senior Operations Managers are proficient in Customer Service, Project Management, 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 Operations Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 10%
Recruited, trained and supervised 25+ associates including customer service representatives, claims processors, quality analysts, business support associates.
- Project Management, 8%
Project management: Program management of marketing campaigns related to vendor or policy modifications as well as technology tools and websites/databases.
- Continuous Improvement, 7%
Prepared and applied new ideas, procedures and processes to improve productivity, quality management for continuous improvement of the organization.
- Oversight, 6%
Provide oversight to the Centers and Clinical operations to coordinate staffing and administrative responsiveness relative to the responsibilities and mission.
- Process Improvement, 5%
Created and measured quarterly performance metrics, providing actionable data utilized in process improvement and measurement of objectives and key results.
- Logistics, 5%
Developed cross-training program for operations managers to broaden knowledge across interrelated functions, leading to smoother logistics operations and increased productivity.
"customer service," "project management," and "continuous improvement" are among the most common skills that senior operations managers use at work. You can find even more senior operations manager responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a senior operations manager to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." Senior operations managers often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "liaised with fda in written communication and participate in meetings on cmc and regulatory compliance issues, including field actions. "
Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling senior operations manager 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 operations manager resume, here's how senior operations managers can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "advised executive leadership on employee performance and professional development. "
Problem-solving skills. For certain senior operations manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of a senior operations manager rely on this skill, as "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what senior operations managers do: "provided on site, supply chain analysis and process improvement solutions. "
Time-management skills. A commonly-found skill in senior operations manager job descriptions, "time-management skills" is essential to what senior operations managers do. Senior operations manager responsibilities rely on this skill because "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." You can also see how senior operations manager duties rely on time-management skills in this resume example: "demonstrated extreme dedication in order to meet all company and fda issued submission deadlines. "
The three companies that hire the most senior operations managers are:
- Pwc199 senior operations managers jobs
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.164 senior operations managers jobs
- Deloitte140 senior operations managers jobs
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Compare different senior operations managers
Senior operations manager vs. General manager of operations
General 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. They coordinate the primary performance goals for direct reporting functions and set the strategies for the organization. It is their responsibility to communicate strategy as well as results to employees. They also engage with the corporate officers in the strategic planning and development of the organization or enterprise.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between senior operations managers and general manager of operations. For instance, senior operations manager responsibilities require skills such as "project management," "excellent interpersonal," "patients," and "strong project management." Whereas a general manager of operations is skilled in "develop team," "financial statements," "personnel processes," and "loss prevention." This is part of what separates the two careers.
On average, general managers of operations reach similar levels of education than senior operations managers. General managers of operations are 4.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior operations manager vs. Group manager
Group Managers are employees who oversee a specific department, team, or any group in the company. They are usually tenured employees or industry experts. Group Managers oversee their team's performance and professional growth. They set clear, strategic goals for the team and create plans to reach these goals. They monitor the achievement of such goals and guide their team along the way. They also manage the team professionally. The coach team members train the employees if there are updates or new strategies and ensure that they remain engaged. They motivate their team to perform well and strive hard to reach group goals.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that senior operations manager responsibilities requires skills like "oversight," "excellent interpersonal," "patients," and "strong project management." But a group manager might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "client facing," "client relationships," "quality standards," and "financial analysis."
On average, group managers earn a lower salary than senior operations managers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, group managers earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $135,074. Whereas senior operations managers have higher pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $134,107.In general, group managers achieve similar levels of education than senior operations managers. They're 0.0% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior operations managers in the next 3-5 years?
Eric Olsen
Professor, Industrial Technology and Packaging, Orfalea College of Business
Senior operations manager vs. Area manager
An Area Manager's responsibility is to oversee the business operations of all company branches within a particular area. Among the tasks involve creating strategies to achieve the sales target, monitoring and evaluating the performance and progress of stores including their workforce, adhering to the budget and regulations of the company, and focus on attaining the image and financial goals. Moreover, an Area Manager must communicate and coordinate with fellow managers and hire employees that would be a vital member of the company.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, senior operations managers are more likely to have skills like "project management," "oversight," "patients," and "strong project management." But a area manager is more likely to have skills like "safety standards," "business plan," "employee development," and "loss prevention."
Area managers earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $77,221. Senior operations managers earn the highest pay from the professional industry, with an average salary of $134,107.area managers typically earn lower educational levels compared to senior operations managers. Specifically, they're 6.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior operations manager vs. Performance manager
As the name entails, performance managers are responsible for maintaining and improving employee performance based on organizational objectives. Their job may vary depending on the industry they work in, but common duties include collecting and analyzing performance data, developing effective systems for information collection, and performing statistical performance analysis. Additional duties of a performance manager may include organizing and conducting training and development on best practices and resolving workplace barriers to performance.
Types of senior operations manager
Updated January 8, 2025
