Looking for a new career path and always fancied managing operations for a large brand? Or perhaps you like the sound of your friend’s Operations Manager job but don’t really have a clue what he/she does day-to-day?
Perhaps you think it sounds like a posh role and that ‘Operations Manager’ as a job title on your business card or CV – or both, for that matter - would feel great? Read on to find out what you’ll actually do in a job like this, what to expect and how on earth to get in and to get going in this exciting role…
Firstly, what is an Operations Manager?
As an Operations Manager, you’ll actually occupy quite a senior role in an organisation – involving overseeing the production of goods and/or provision of services.
It would be your specific remit to make sure that the company is running really well – as well as it possibly, possibly can – with a really good and efficient service, meeting the expectations and needs of customers and clients alike.
You’ll basically make sure that everything goes to plan, giving people the best possible experience of the company. It is bound to come with its share of headaches as you’ll be a ‘go to’ person for anyone in the company with a gripe, but the responsibility and variety will more than make up for it, we promise you.
Main Responsibilities
As an Operations Manager, you’ll have quite a broad remit and your specific tasks will vary greatly from company to company. Most of the time, your job will involve taking into account, monitoring and analysing your company’s current system of production in order to make sure it’s still effective, and then working out a strategy for improving it if need be. So there’s an awful lot of job satisfaction in knowing that you’ve had to make some pretty important company decisions, especially when you can see that everything is running so well.
Your role is an absolutely essential part of any self-respecting company, as you’ll also manage more nitty gritty day-to-day activities and read/write reports.
You’ll be quite a prominent member of the company as you’ll find yourself liaising with other members of staff, particularly with other managers; you’ll sometimes even have the hard task of broaching the subjects of inefficiency with them and methods of improvement. With this in mind, you will have to keep a level head and maintain excellent interpersonal and diplomacy skills.
You will also present investigations to stakeholders and much higher managers and you’ll have to train and supervise new employees, as well as keep up with staff performance, alongside all of this.
Other duties and responsibilities as an Operations Manager may include:
- Planning for change and controlling it
- Managing quality assurance programmes
- Researching new technologies and other efficiency methods
- Budget management and forecasting
- Overseeing inventory, distribution of goods and facility layout
How To Become an Operations Manager?
Want to become an Operations Manager? If so, how do you go about it?
The great news is that there is absolutely no set path for getting yourself into this an operations management role.
Some people have a university degree and not much work experience, while others have relatively little formal education but heaps of relevant experience - it all depends on if the employer thinks you’ll be a good fit based on your combination of experience and education.
It also depends on what your industry background is, too – in general, many employers prefer it if you have some professional experience working in their field or management experience which could easily be adapted to the field.
How To Develop Your Operations Manager Career
We’re sure you’re already blown away by the exciting opportunities described for Operations Manager. So, if you’re serious about your career, read on to see what you could expect as a further step.
Career-wise, the Operations Manager’s most obvious next step is into director-level positions. Longer term, managing director level positions may also be a sensible target.
So, there you have it! For anyone who is looking to take the plunge into something new, to shape their existing office skills into something more rounded such as those of an Operations Manager and for those who are really thinking about serious long-term and senior career progression, then look no further. Operations Managers have varied roles and can usually transfer their skills from one industry to the next.
These roles are not location-specific either so basically, if you’re having to relocate from one part of the UK to another for whatever reason, you’re likely to be able to land another Operations Manager role in some shape or form. Good luck, be confident and don’t hold back.
So, there you have it; everything you need to set out on the road to a new Operations Managers career!