Operations Manager

The Operations Manager position exists in organizations of all sizes – small, medium, large, and multinational corporations – across private, public, and non-profit sectors, covering every area of the economy.

Operations managers perform leadership and management duties in collaboration with teams and senior managers to ensure that groups fulfill their roles and achieve organizational objectives. They are an essential part of any business model that has an operational function or division requiring staff leadership, management, and support.

The primary purpose of this occupation is to provide leadership, including responsibility for operations and projects. An operations manager is accountable for managing individuals or teams, setting direction, guidance, and instruction to achieve defined goals. They play a vital role in ensuring all parts of the organization run smoothly while maintaining compliance with laws, as well as organizational policies and procedures. Operations managers provide clear and comprehensive leadership within their scope, often setting, managing, and monitoring the achievement of core objectives aligned with the organization’s overall strategy. In smaller organizations, they are often directly involved in implementing and achieving these strategic goals.

In their daily work, operations managers interact with colleagues from various internal departments, including operations, human resources, finance, legal, information technology, business development, marketing, and project teams. They also engage with external stakeholders such as clients, partners, and suppliers. Operations managers may work in diverse environments — including offices, field sites, or remotely — demonstrating flexibility and adaptability to meet organizational needs.

This role carries responsibility for leading and managing operational functions, including staff development, project management, workload and resource planning and review, implementing operational plans, problem-solving, and building relationships both within and outside the organization.
An operations manager may work as part of a network or team, operating within approved budgets and resources, and reporting to senior leaders. They are responsible for making decisions and guiding or influencing others’ decisions. This includes applying principles of business continuity, collecting and interpreting data to identify trends, analyzing resources, and finding ways to improve performance.

Operations managers understand their role in supporting the overall organizational structure. They apply relevant laws, regulations, and best practices associated with organizational operations, including legal and ethical obligations, equality, diversity and inclusion, occupational safety, and the sustainability impact of the organization.