How to hire a site operations manager

How to hire a site operations manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step site 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 site operations manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new site operations manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a site operations manager do?

Post a site operations manager job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The site operations manager hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A site operations manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, site operations managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of site operations manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Site Operations Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Site Operations Manager	Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.	$31-75
   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... Show more	$23-79
   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... Show more	$37-85

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Site Operations
   • Logistics
   • Safety Procedures
   • Oversight
   • Safety Program
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Lean Six Sigma
   • Technical Support
   • Customer Service
   • ISO
   • OSHA
   • Direct Reports
   • Payroll
   • Customer Satisfaction

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Analyze, prepare and efficiently manage distribution center budget, operations and logistics.
   • Develop multiple in-store processes to manage payroll and successfully increase financial numbers through decreasing operational expense and increasing operational income.
   • Finance and billing accountability across Medicaid, manage care commercial insurance, insurance verification, contract management, and benefits administration.
   • Participate in FDA and governmental audits.
   • Insure materials meet FDA and EPA requirements.
   • Create cross-training programming and enforcement of all company policies and corporate ISO procedures.

   More site operations manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the site operations manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A site operations manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a site operations manager in West Virginia may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level site operations manager. Additionally, a site operations manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average site operations manager salary

   $102,283yearly

   $49.17 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level site operations manager salary

   $66,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average site operations manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$151,865	$73
   2	Massachusetts	$125,910	$61
   3	District of Columbia	$123,513	$59
   4	Washington	$122,351	$59
   5	New York	$119,103	$57
   6	Colorado	$117,374	$56
   7	New Jersey	$115,341	$55
   8	Oregon	$109,145	$52
   9	Texas	$108,441	$52
   10	Wisconsin	$99,805	$48
   11	Maryland	$97,193	$47
   12	Ohio	$96,531	$46
   13	Utah	$90,583	$44
   14	Arizona	$90,323	$43
   15	North Carolina	$82,886	$40
   16	Minnesota	$78,894	$38
   17	Indiana	$76,936	$37
   18	Florida	$73,806	$35

   Average site operations manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$169,876	$81.67	214
   2	PayPal	$166,581	$80.09	10
   3	eBay	$155,501	$74.76	35
   4	BNY Mellon	$145,128	$69.77	56
   5	Nike	$140,692	$67.64	17
   6	Amazon	$137,354	$66.04	1,478
   7	Walmart	$134,859	$64.84	1,396
   8	Intel	$128,717	$61.88	4
   9	Williams Sonoma	$123,530	$59.39	147
   10	Johnson Matthey Plc	$122,880	$59.08	1
   11	Teche Action Clinic	$121,445	$58.39
   12	Starbucks	$120,276	$57.83	380
   13	MITRE	$118,795	$57.11
   14	Albemarle	$118,315	$56.88	11
   15	Robinhood	$117,510	$56.50	8
   16	Avantor	$117,316	$56.40	1
   17	Deloitte	$106,920	$51.40	2,007
   18	Fluor Corporation	$106,008	$50.97	39
   19	Vestas Blades America	$105,014	$50.49	25
   20	Northrop Grumman	$102,785	$49.42	40

4. Writing a site operations manager job description

   A site 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 site operations manager job description:

   Site operations manager job description example

   WHO WE ARE
   For nearly two decades, Con Edison Solutions (CES), Con Edison Development (CED) and Con Edison Energy (CEE) have been leading national providers of retail and wholesale energy services. Now, they are part of Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses (CEB), a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc., one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies. The CEB are the second largest owner of solar electric generating projects in the United States and 7th largest globally. The CEB have assets in excess of $6 billion and revenue in excess of $1 billion. WHY WORK FOR US
   We offer great career opportunities and are able to check some of your boxes including:
   • Be a part of a market leader and one of the largest solar energy producers in North America
   • Improve the planet by helping us further reduce carbon emissions
   • Collaborate on a dynamic team of high performing professionals
   • Create and improve on our renewable innovation
   • Obtain a customized career path
   • Obtain a competitive compensation package
   • Select from comprehensive health plans and other benefits
   • Utilize our generous tuition reimbursement program
   • Participate in social causes ABOUT THE POSITION The Site Operator is responsible for the on-site generation of renewable energy at all assigned plants in their regional portfolio. The candidate will be responsible for operating, maintaining and monitoring renewable energy assets (wind, solar, etc.) and energy infrastructure projects through close collaboration with Con Edison Development's operators, engineers, asset managers, project managers and developers as well as on-site subcontractors. The candidate will be responsible for the daily operation, planned and corrective maintenance, and event response for CED assets in the Nevada region. The candidate will be responsible for operating one or more plants (home base), as well as overseeing all operations, maintenance, and event responses at the other plants in the region. The candidate will furthermore be responsible for ensuring all operations and maintenance activities in the region are performed in accordance with industry best practices, industry best safety practices, ConEdison Development procedures, plans, and guidelines as well as all pertinent laws and regulations. Responsibilities Plant Operations - Oversee production of renewable energy at all plants in a particular region, ensuring that plants operate within design parameters in a reliable, safe and efficient manner. Monitor production to ensure plants are meeting performance expectations. Coordinate and resolve operational abnormalities. Plant Maintenance - Supervise and coordinate maintenance and repair of plant components; troubleshoot and resolve problems that may arise. Perform preventive/predictive maintenance to ensure long term profitability, plant reliability and risk minimization. Technical Support - Perform operational analysis as required to support Asset Management and Project Development. Create, review and distribute daily, weekly and monthly operational reports. Technical Expertise - Stay abreast of regulations, codes and standards as they relate to the industry. Develop relationships with suppliers that result in beneficial synergies. General - Manage contractors as required, act as local CED liaison, develop long range plans and work with local civic groups as required. Qualifications Education: Electrical engineering degree preferred. Licensed Electrician and or equivalent experience in the power industry.
   Experience: 2-5 years' experience in a related renewable energy field, with direct expertise in electrical engineering preferred. 2-5 years' experience in power plant/ high voltage substation operations environment. Prior experience with power generation, renewable and gas facilities is a plus. High voltage testing experience is a plus. Prior supervisory experience is a plus. Job Skills: Excellent technical, analytical and communication skills, strong interpersonal skills. Proficient in Microsoft Excel. Above average interpersonal skills. Knowledge of power electronics and circuitry. Knowledge of power generation equipment and technologies. Knowledge of predictive maintenance technologies. Ability to work within tight deadlines. Ability to multitask. Driver's license required. #LI-OS1
   INDCEBHP1 Equal Opportunity Employer: Consolidated Edison is an equal opportunity employer and, as such, affirms in policy and practice its commitment to recruit, hire, train, and promote, in all job classifications, without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, citizenship, eligible veteran status, disability, or any other status protected by law.
   Con Edison is a federal contractor subject to VEVRAA and desires to receive priority referrals of protected veterans. You must be eligible to work in the US independent of company sponsorship.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right site operations manager for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your site operations manager job on Zippia to find and recruit site operations manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting site operations managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 site operations manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the site operations manager position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new site operations manager. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a site operations manager?