The Director of Operations (DOO) manages a company’s day-to-day activities and may oversee various departments. People in these roles work with the upper management to achieve the organization’s strategic and business goals and improve relationships with customers and consumers. They are also responsible for reaching maximum productivity while minimizing cost.
Education and Qualifications
The educational requirement may vary based on the type of business and the industry. A manufacturing plant may prefer only a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or operations management. Others, specifically large companies, may prefer an MBA in general/operation management or some other form of advanced degree.
Responsibilities and a Day in the Life
The Director of Operations works a regular schedule of 8 hours a day and five days a week. However, like any other upper management role, the actual hours may vary depending upon the organization’s size and whether that organization operates during regular business hours or 24/7. If the company has many geographical locations, the job may require travel. If the DOO has a direct relationship with customers, that may increase the amount of travel as well.
Some common daily responsibilities include the following (divided into subcategories or clarity):
Reporting:
- Taking directions from leadership teams to devise operational activities to meet the company’s strategic goals.
- Evaluating the business status with respect to overarching goals and producing periodic reports for executives.
- Analyzing data to devise improvement plans.
Organizational:
- Defining, implementing, communicating, and improving organizational policies and guidelines.
- Working with various department managers to oversee operations and work schedules.
- Managing procurement and allocating materials/resource properly
- Ensuring regulatory compliance with company policies
- Tracking the company’s revenue margins and implementing steps to maximize profits
- Analyzing day-to-day operations and implementing improvements to reduce costs in manufacturing
Personnel and supervisory:
- Working with HR to hire, train, monitor, and conduct performance evaluations of department managers/supervisors.
- Setting up team and department goals
- Supervising staff from different departments and providing constructive feedback
- Monitoring performance and employee satisfaction
Customer:
- Managing relationships and agreements with suppliers and customers
- Meeting with customers to understand their expectations and how company products will have to change to meet their expectations
- Overseeing customer service and implementing changes if needed
Other Necessary Skills
- Superior communication and negotiation skills
- Organizational and interpersonal skills
- Problem-solving skills
- The ability to learn and oversee various functions
- Strong leadership skills
Career Progression
Assistant Manager of Plant/Office/Operations –> Manager of Plant/Office/Operations –> Director of Operations –> Vice President of Operations (General Manager)
Though many follow this route, there is no defined path to becoming an operations director.
Salary
Salary can vary based on the industry size, company, experience, location, etc. According to BLS, the median salary for an operation manager is about $98K. In reality, this could be anywhere between $50K to $200K.
Job Growth
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track this role separately but has general details related to top executives. According to BLS, there were about:
- 4 million top executive jobs in 2021
- The job outlook from 2021 to 2031 is 6% which is on par with the average job growth.
- Employment change = 189K (2021 to 31)
Summary
If you are someone who finds the following characteristics of this job appealing, you can consider being director of operations as your future career (or a stepping stone to your dream job):
- Managing a large team
- Working with people
- Constantly improving processes to increase productivity and reduce costs
- Routinely collecting data and reporting to management
- Facing customers on a daily basis.
