A position that frequently comes up on our job board is that of operations manager. We chatted to Pradesh about his daily work and his career so that you can learn more about this interesting and varied senior position.
Who do you work for?
At the moment, I work for an investment business that carries out work across Europe and the Middle East.
What are your main responsibilities?
As an operations manager, the responsibilities are often quite variable. Right now, my biggest projects cover legal and regulatory compliance, introducing new digital project management and also carrying out procurement.
What is the purpose of the operations manager role?
In short, it’s the job of the operations manager to make sure that all business operations run smoothly. It’s your job to ensure everyone else, but specifically systems, are productive. As such, you get involved in everything across the whole business. You will get involved in things as diverse as sustainability issues through to risk management. It’s varied and fast paced.
Do you have people working for you?
Yes. Over the years, the companies I’ve worked for have had different sized operations teams. It depends on the overall size and nature of the business. At the moment, I manage a team of 6. Most are support staff of different levels. A lot of my job is managing my people to achieve success in operations.
What skills do you need in your role?
I need and utilise a wide skillset. I guess predominantly, my IT system skills have to be top-notch. I have deep numerical skills, as well as analytical skills. You must be an expert at data analytics. As a manager, my people and leadership skills are important, as are communication skills and the ability to create valuable and insightful reports. As I’ve progressed, I’ve found negotiation skills are increasingly important. Operations managers also need to be highly organised, strategic and excellent problem solvers.
What experience do you need to become an operations manager?
It depends a little on the organisation and the size of the team. Most roles will expect you to have held a leadership position before. They also want to see that you’ve got experience across the whole business, not just one niche. For example, you’ll need to demonstrate experience working with HR, IT, finance and suppliers.
How did you find your current role?
I found the job I do now through Love Success. I also found my previous job through them too! They are good at helping you tailor your application to the specific employer. They also really know the industry so can help you market yourself and also achieve the best package as they know the state of play on the ground.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to become an operations manager?
Try to get as much experience as you can across a range of different business functions. Then also add in getting some experience specifically within operations. Don’t be afraid to be a generalist. You need broad knowledge across a wide range of functions. And make sure your organisational skills are the best!
Are you looking for operations management positions?
We often have operations roles open on our jobs board, from administrators up to managers and directors. Alternatively, give us a call on 020 7870 7177.
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