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What is a senior operations supervisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
Eric Olsen

A senior operations supervisor supervises all operations in a particular department or company. It is the senior operations supervisor's duty to ensure that all activities run smoothly and ensure that the department's performance or company is at its most optimal.

Your daily activities will include hiring and training new staff, managing work schedules, addressing employee issues and concerns, and drafting reports for more senior managers. You will be required to carry out regular evaluation of office performance, identify areas of strength and weaknesses and develop strategies to strengthen weak areas. You should also ensure that all company policies and regulations are upheld while maintaining local and international operations standards.

A senior operations supervisor should make about $39 an hour, which amounts to about $81,343 annually. This is a job to go for if you have excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills. Every employer wants a senior operations manager who can demand the best from his/her team and improve general office performance and profitability. A bachelor's degree in business, accounting, or a related discipline is commonly required for this role.

What general advice would you give to a senior operations supervisor?

Eric OlsenEric Olsen LinkedIn profile

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.
ScoreSenior Operations SupervisorUS Average
Salary
4.8

Avg. Salary $61,392

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 6.39%

Black or African American 6.21%

Hispanic or Latino 15.29%

Unknown 4.34%

White 67.29%

Gender

female 26.93%

male 73.07%

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

Senior operations supervisor career paths

Key steps to become a senior operations supervisor

  1. Explore senior operations supervisor education requirements

    Most common senior operations supervisor degrees

    Bachelor's

    57.2 %

    Associate

    22.7 %

    Master's

    8.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior operations supervisor skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Logistics13.01%
    Continuous Improvement9.18%
    Process Improvement9.05%
    Quality Standards8.02%
    PowerPoint5.98%
  3. Complete relevant senior operations supervisor training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior operations supervisors 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 a senior operations supervisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior operations supervisor resumes.
  4. Research senior operations supervisor duties and responsibilities

    • Manage administrative expenses and budgets including labor, training, petty cash, payroll, and awards.
    • Manage logistics operations relate to strategic military contingency maneuvers.
    • Manage team of database administrators, database technicians and systems administrators responsible for maintaining all production, development and QA systems.
    • Calculate payroll pay roll and work load to determine manpower to hand the work load for future dates.
  5. Get senior operations supervisor experience

    Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a senior operations supervisor. The most common roles before becoming a senior operations supervisor include operation supervisor, supervisor team lead and operations manager.
  6. Prepare your senior operations supervisor resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior operations supervisor 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 a senior operations supervisor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable senior operations supervisor resume templates

    Build a professional senior operations supervisor 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 senior operations supervisor resume.
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    Senior Operations Supervisor Resume
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    Senior Operations Supervisor Resume
    Senior Operations Supervisor Resume
    Senior Operations Supervisor Resume
    Senior Operations Supervisor Resume
    Senior Operations Supervisor Resume
  7. Apply for senior operations supervisor jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior operations supervisor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first senior operations supervisor job

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Average senior operations supervisor salary

The average senior operations supervisor salary in the United States is $61,392 per year or $30 per hour. Senior operations supervisor salaries range between $38,000 and $97,000 per year.

Average senior operations supervisor salary
$61,392 Yearly
$29.52 hourly

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How do senior operations supervisors rate their job?

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Senior operations supervisor reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019
Cons

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


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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!


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A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2019
Pros

I love it and I wish I was back at my old job but I guess it is what it is

Cons

Not being loyal


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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