The job description of a director of operations typically involves supervising the daily operations of an organization. This executive heads and sets targets for other divisions or departments within the company to adhere to.
Because of this, the chief operating officer can expect to work with other department managers to evaluate their productivity and track their progress for the success of the organization.
Meanwhile, there’s more to this role than merely overseeing the daily operations of the company. If you want to learn more about the operations director position, how to become one, their salary, and skills, continue reading this article.
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What is a Director of Operations?
A director of operations or chief operating officer (COO) is responsible for managing an organization’s daily operations. His duties may include a large number of tasks, which is determined by the size of the company and its industry.
Overall, this executive ensures there’s improved efficiency, set budget, and implements staff policies. The chief operating officer is an executive-level position that works with C-suite roles and senior-level management.
Additionally, he reports to the CEO (chief executive officer) in a corporate hierarchy. You can find operations directors in government, private, non-profit, or public sectors. However, their job titles may differ based on the specific industry.
What Does a Director of Operations Do?
The job description of an operations director or chief operating officer is to create procedures and policies that help a company achieve its short- and long-term objectives.
They work together with department managers and corporate executives to create company-wide strategies. A typical job description of an operations director include the following:
- Reviewing budgets and reporting results.
- Allocating resources to improve the cost-effectiveness of specific business operations.
- Making certain that business activities fulfill financial targets and objectives.
- Developing and supervising metrics and procedures for employee evaluation.
- Assisting department managers to oversee staff members, enhance efficiency, and set goals.
- Applying, evaluating, and modifying the policies and procedures of the organization.
- Helping the HR department with hiring, firing, employee management, and disciplinary measures.
Who Does a Director of Operations Manage?
A chief operating officer oversees the senior level management in an organization, typically those in charge of a division or individual departments.
Examples of these positions include HR department manager, marketing manager, sales manager, financial department manager (also known as a controller), and office manager.
Further, the COO receives reports from each department manager, uses them to offer suggestions and request feedback as needed. It is critical that managers regard the chief operating officer (COO) as an ally in their endeavors.
A key job description for the operations director position is to maintain consistency across all departments. They ensure the organization’s vision is executed through the daily operations of all divisions.
Qualifications And Skills Required to Become an Operations Director
To become a director of operations in a company, you must hold (at least) a bachelor’s degree in business, data science, IT, or a related field. It is also recommended that you possess a master’s degree in business administration.
While having relevant certifications is not a requirement, it will be helpful for advancing your career. Other qualifications required for this job include the following:
- A minimum of 10 years of professional work experience.
- You should have a background in business, IT, operations, or a related discipline.
- Be able to track different details across the organization.
- Prior experience in leadership or management.
- Previous experience with planning and setting short-term and long-term business goals.
- Understand various departments and business processes.
Hard Skills
- Adept at financial forecasting to ensure that the company stays on course to reach its goals.
- Thorough familiarity with all departments within an organization.
- Skills in research and data analysis to evaluate performance metrics.
- Understanding policies that promote a healthy and efficient work environment.
- Business acumen to identify procedures that are most economical.
Soft Skills
- Excellent leadership skills to supervise department heads.
- Effective communication abilities to work with executive and department leaders.
- Strong problem-solving abilities to handle challenges in various teams.
- Capacity to set and maintain both short- and long-term objectives.
- Analytical approach of identifying trends and making facts-based decisions.
How To Become a Director of Operations
Most chief operating officers (COOs) have bachelor’s degrees in business, data science, information technology, communications, marketing, or similar disciplines.
Furthermore, having a master’s degree in business administration is a plus for this position. Upon completion of your education, prospective professionals should anticipate working for 10 years before applying to an operations director role.
While chief operating officers have different backgrounds and experiences, operations analyst makes an excellent entry-level position.
Workers can also advance to take on leadership roles like Information Technology managers, marketing managers, sales managers, and other managerial positions, depending on the department.
Additionally, a bachelor’s degree in business administration and enough industry experience is the minimum qualification you need for a chief operating officer career. Most times, you’ll require 5 years of experience in a managerial role.
But if it’s a larger organization, you may require an MBA alongside solid experience in the field. Since this job is not an entry-level position, you should expect to advance gradually through the ranks for years.
However, having a robust experience or background at a larger organization can give you an edge to obtain a higher-ranking job at a smaller organization.
Tools and Programs Used By an Operations Director
As a chief operating officer, you should expect to use of know how to use the following tools:
- Video conferencing platforms such as Skype, Zoom, and Google Meet.
- Project management tools such as Asana, monday.com, and Trello.
- CRM (customer relationship management) platforms such as Zoho, HubSpot, and Salesforce.
- Messaging platforms such as Twilio, Microsoft Teams, and Slack.
- Sales automation tools such as ZoomInfo, LinkedIn Sales Navigator and SalesLoft.
How Much Does a Director of Operations Make?
The salary range of a director of operations varies according to different sources. But we’ll be evaluating a few. According to ZipRecruiter, the average yearly salary of an operations director in the US is $107,680 per year.
This amounts to approximately $51.77/hour, $2,070/week, and $8,973/month. At the same time, reports from builtin assert that the average salary range for a director of operations in the United States is $140,735 with an average additional cash compensation of $24,739.
Therefore, the total compensation for this position in the US is averagely $165,474. Further, the average operations director salary in the US is reportedly $194,468 with a typical range between $184,005 and $206,045, according to salary.com.
The director of operations salary range information from Glassdoor shows an average of $146,377/year with an estimated total pay of $234,233 a year. Then, the estimated additional pay is $87,856 annually.
Note that these salary ranges can be very different depending on your certifications, education, skills, industry experience, and years in the profession.
Bottom Line
Overseeing the day-to-day operations of a company is the primary job description of a director of operations. This executive does this by leading the various department managers and setting goals for them to collaboratively achieve.
Additionally, it’s important you understand that this job is not an entry-level position. So, it will require about 5-10 years of industry experience to climb up this ladder in your career.
Chief operations officers also earn a reasonable salary in the United States. However, factors like location, work experience, education, skills, and certifications can influence salaries.
If you’re aspiring for this position in your career, ensure you get the prerequisites we’ve discussed in this article.