Explore Courses
Top University
Jagpreet
24 August, 2024
Table of Contents
A Director of Operations is a strategic leader responsible for the management of the daily activities of an organisation. This high-level executive is in charge of ensuring efficient, productive, and profitable performance by overseeing crucial functions, like supply chain, logistics, and facility management. Keen on improving business processes, the Director of Operations becomes very vital to attaining organisational goals and propelling general growth.
Devising strategies and planning: There are multiple operations that keep running daily. These may significantly vary depending on the size of the business. Therefore, the Director of Operations has to ensure the smooth functioning of the entire organisation. Additionally, the appropriate devise strategies for meeting their goals.
Management of the staff and employees: Every organisation follows a hierarchy. The management of the people working at the different levels of this hierarchy is a challenging job. Therefore, the director of operations also has to maintain coordination among the working staff and employees. They also provide feedback on the work done by the employees and ensure that they meet the organisational goals.
Regulation: The director of operations is also responsible for ensuring that the business procedures are running smoothly by the rules and regulations. They identify the areas where there is a need for improvement and do the needful.
Procurement to Allocation: From procuring the resources for the business to coordinating their arrival, the director of operations thoroughly looks after the entire process. They also monitor the allocation of these resources and track the future needs of the business.
Typically, becoming the director of operations requires no specific degree. However, you can follow the steps:
Obtaining a degree: You can start by obtaining a bachelor’s degree in business administration, operations management, or any other related field. Furthermore, you can choose to pursue a Master’s degree in MBA or a Master of Business Administration with a specialisation in operations management.
Build your experience: You can start by working as an operations analyst, a production coordinator or a supply chain analyst. These roles will significantly contribute to your understanding of the job role. You will also be able to gain experience before you finally join the company and understand the basics that are rudimentary in managing these multiple responsibilities.
Develop the necessary skills: Management as a job role is not possible to succeed at unless you experience it yourself. No amount of academic preparation can be fruitful unless you combine it with some hands-on experience. This will help you develop the key skills crucial while working as the Director of Operations. You can develop these skills either through work experiences or by opting for certification courses such as an online course on supply chain professionals or Six Sigma Certification that focuses on process improvement and quality management.
Let’s look at some of the vital skills that the Director of Operations requires to ensure the smooth functioning of an organisation:
Communication and People management skills: The director of operations must be efficient and transparent in communicating. This is particularly important as it involves the coordination among the people who work in an organisation on different levels of the hierarchy. Even when it comes to giving constructive feedback, the communication skills and clarity of the director of operations play an important role.
Technical and analytical skills: The director of operations is expected to have the analytical skills for the comprehensive analysis of the data and the performance of the operation metrics. Additionally, they are also expected to be fluent in the use of MS Office and other business software such as ERP and CRM. These software are crucial for maintaining the data and the overall operations, therefore, familiarity with them is important.
Well-versed with the legalities and business operations: Every industry has its own set of rules, regulations and legalities that the businesses have to adhere to. It is the director of operations who has to ensure on behalf of the organisation that they work as per those legalities. They must also know the diverse business functions and principles such as supply chain, finance, customer service, customer relationship management, etc.
Leadership skills and analytical thinking: The work of the director of operations is to also analyse the data of the organisation and make decisions based on the same for the strategic planning to reach their goals. They also have to manage a considerably large team of employees and staff members that requires them to be a good leader. They have to resolve any problems that may pose a challenge in the smooth functioning of the organisation’s operations while looking for quick solutions to immediately do away with them.
Here are the most popularly recognised career prospects in the post of the director of Operations and their salaries. The salaries are subject to change and depend on the job profile, responsibilities, workplace, company location, individual experience, and educational qualification.
| Career Prospects | Salary Figures |
| Operations Consultant | ₹ 3.4 LPA to ₹ 28.5 LPA |
| Director of Logistics | ₹ 2.3 LPA to ₹ 50.0 LPA |
| Vice President of Operations | ₹ 13.3 LPA to ₹ 98.0 LPA |
| Director of Manufacturing | ₹32.9 LPA |
| Plant Manager | ₹ 3.5 LPA to ₹ 38.9 LPA |
| General Manager | ₹ 5.8 LPA to ₹ 60.0 |
| Chief Operating Officer (COO) | ₹ 12.0 LPA to ₹ 101.0 LPA |
| Supply Chain Director | ₹ 15.0 LPA to ₹ 102.0 LPA |
| Career Prospects | Salary Figures |
| Amazon | INR 62.5 to 70 LPA |
| Procter & Gamble (P&G) | INR 38.5 to 40 LPA |
| IBM | INR 55 to 60 LPA |
| General Electric (GE) | INR 40.0 to INR 83.1 LPA |
| Johnson & Johnson | INR 40 LPA to INR 1 Crore PA |
| INR 1.2 to 2 Crore PA | |
| Apple | INR 64.2 to INR 70 LPA |
To be the director of operations is to be capable of multitasking. This is a huge responsibility and because of the wide scope, it also demands knowledge of the various company processes. Companies recruiting directors of operations look out for candidates who are competent and capable of handling these operational activities.
They also expect the individual to be a professional and an excellent leader who is able to efficiently run the operations of the business to ensure that the goals are not compromised. The long-term success of an organisation largely depends on the efficiency of the director of operations. It is their skillset and knowledge that contributes to the company. Therefore, the job is accompanied by several responsibilities and most importantly accountability.
Depending on the nature of the industry and the model of the business, the challenges may dynamically differ. Having said that, business operations are generally quite complex. If they are not micromanaged, the business can collapse. The director of operations needs to be capable of making strategic decisions that can work like the backbone of their business. Operations are not just the day-to-day activities. They also include the futuristic approach that a company needs to adapt in order to ensure its smooth functioning.
One of the most important skills is leadership. It builds the ability to multitask and manage a large team of people handling diverse operations and at the same time being accountable for their work.
The director of operations works with different department heads and the company management to ensure the smooth functioning of the business and its daily operations.
Here are the top five responsibilities of the director of operations:
Strategic Planning
Process Management
Team Management
Performance Monitoring
Budget Management
The position of the director of operations entails multiple responsibilities. It is definitely not an easy job nor can it be handled seamlessly by a single person. The coordination and its supervision is definitely the responsibility of the director of operations, but since it is a two way street, equal cooperation is also expected from the employees and the staff members. In a nutshell, it is difficult to become the director of operations but only in the absence of a well-structured plan.
