How To Become A Business Operations Manager

In any organization, there is one person who is in control of everything. Whether it is one person or more than one person, they need to have an understanding of every division within an organization. They need to understand how all the divisions need to work together to meet the common goals of the organization.

This is often a difficult role to fulfill and it requires broad shoulders to carry the weight of a business's operations. This person is none other than a business operations manager. Whether it is a large international corporation or a small local business, there may be one or many operations managers, but this role is vital for the successful operation of a business.

To become a business operations manager, you would need to obtain a bachelor's degree at the very least, you would need to complete an internship to gain hands-on experience, and you would then need to begin seeking out a viable role in a business that you are hoping to grow in and grow with.

Let us take a closer look at this career path and each step you would need to take to pursue this role.

What Is A Business Operations Manager?

As one of the members of management, an operations manager is responsible for overseeing and managing the day-to-day functions of a business or organization. The type of functions that an operations manager would concern themselves with would differ depending on the type of organization they operate in.

For example, the operations manager of a car sales franchise, and the operations manager of a candle store will have two very different points of interest. However, they will both aim to make sure that every part of the overall organization is working well together as a single unit to meet the business goals that have been set out for the organization.

What Does A Business Operations Manager Do?

Every day, they will assess data that is provided to them by multiple divisions within the company. The accounting or finance division will tell them the state of the company's finances, human resources will tell them that the company wasn't running at an optimal level on a particular day because someone took a sick day, production and manufacturing will provide them with the details pertaining to available stock levels, and the operations manager will liaise with procurement divisions to acquire new stock.

The role of an operations manager is extremely important. They do a lot to keep an organization afloat.

When business goals are set for a company by upper management, the goal is not just to reach a specific number of sales by a specific day. Instead, the goals go much deeper than that and they will set goals for employee growth and retention, they will set purchasing goals that they are hoping to meet with other businesses, and set company expansion goals.

These goals are then communicated with the operations manager who helps the entire organization work together to meet these goals by devising and implementing plans and business strategies.

Types Of Business Operations Managers

Supply Chain Managers

These are the managers who closely monitor raw materials and stock levels. They assess whether they need to order more raw materials, and they monitor the production lines to make sure that the output of inventory meets industry demands. And they are also responsible for the distribution of items to consumers and end users.

Project Managers

In a large organization, there may be more than one operations manager. In such cases, each department will be divided, and project managers will monitor operations on a smaller scale.

Human Resource Managers

Human resources is not just about payroll and vacation days. Instead, they need to make sure that every single individual in an organization is contributing to the ultimate goal of the organization as a whole, that each employee is carrying out their function appropriately, and that each and every employee is working well with others in the organization.

Logistics Managers

These are the operations managers that would work closely with supply chain managers, but their role will be more focused on the distribution of the product.

Finance And Budget Managers

Planning the finances of an organization, and implementing and adhering to budgets are extremely important. In these cases, there are entire teams dedicated to managing the finances and accounting protocols of an organization.

Considering how greatly each facet of business is interlinked, there may be an additional operations manager who makes sure that all these components of a business are working well together, especially in the areas where they overlap.

Skills You Need To Become An Operations Manager

Considering that you would need the foresight to plan ahead while keeping track of current operations, you would need to have strategic planning skills, critical thinking skills, project management, and budgeting skills. You would need to have an understanding of financial management and analysis, and above all, as the linking component of all divisions in a company, you would need to have superior communications skills.

Steps To Become A Business Operations Manager

Step One: Obtain Your Bachelor's Degree

The first step to becoming an operations manager is to acquire a business administration degree. This will equip you with the skills you need to be the joining factor among all the divisions of a company.

Step Two: Gain Experience

Whether you are gaining basic experience through an internship, or whether you pursue full-time employment, this is your chance to apply the skills that you would have acquired through your degree. Granted, you won't enter into a management-level role, but you can work toward a role in management.

Step Three: Pursue A Higher Degree

If you would like to streamline or expedite your career growth and you would like to enter the role of an operations manager much faster, you can do so by obtaining a graduate degree in the form of a master's in business administration (MBA). An MBA will open up doors for upward mobility, you would qualify for management roles, and you can enjoy the salary increase that may come with such promotions.

Step Four: Assume A Role As An Operations Manager

With a combination of experience and qualifications, you are now ready and equipped to take on the roles and responsibilities of an operations manager.

What Degree Do You Need To Be A Business Operations Manager?

At the very least, you would require a bachelor's degree in business administration. But to further qualify and enter the role much sooner, pursuing an MBA may prove extremely beneficial.

What Is The Average Salary For A Business Operations Manager?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), general and operations managers earn an average annual salary of $115,250, and they earn a median annual salary of $97,970.

What Makes A Good Operations Manager?

You would need to have superior leadership skills and communication skills. Working as the head of many divisions, you would need to be able to collaborate and integrate well with different people from many different backgrounds, and you would need to be effective in bringing a variety of teams together, working toward a common goal.

You would need to have strong organizational skills, be able to set goals, and take responsibility when things don't go according to plan, which can happen quite often. You would need to be strong and effective, and you would need to have solutions for the problems people may present you with.

You would need to be able to make financial decisions and be able to justify budgetary and financial decisions.

FAQs

What Is The Job Outlook For An Operations Manager?

The BLS states that the employment for top executives expects to see a projected growth of 6% over the next 10 years.

Is The Role Of An Operations Manager Stressful?

There is a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, you are responsible for many people and the ultimate success of the organization. This job is very demanding and there is a lot of stress that comes with it, but if you are effective and skilled enough, you can easily make a success of this role.

Conclusion

If you ever wondered what it takes to be a manager, to oversee many people in an organization, and to carry out high-level tasks in a business, just ask an operations manager. While it is a demanding role, it is extremely fulfilling, and it is a great career to follow if you have a qualification in business administration.