Sample operations manager job description and interview questions

Are you looking to hire and need the perfect operations manager job description to bring in top talent? Hiring is a lengthy and costly process so it’s best to get it right the first time — and that means bringing the best applicants into the interview process. This job description template will help you understand the roll of an operations manager and what to look for in potential candidates.

In this BusinessManagementDaily.com article, we cover:

• Operations manager job description
• Qualifications and skills necessary for a business operations manager
• Interview questions to help you shape the perfect operations manager

So, before you hire an operations manager for your business, read all about operations manager duties to help you make the right decision.

Operations manager job description

Position: Operations Manager

Salary Range: It’s a good idea to include a salary range for your position to avoid having applicants that might later reject an offer.

Reports To: Who will the office manager report to in your company?

Job Description

What does an operations manager do? Sometimes referred to as chief operating officer or COO, the experienced operations manager supervises and coordinates the activities of office services, customer service, data processing, shipping/receiving, and maintenance. Negotiates contracts, and supervises vendors and outside contractors.

Other operations manager duties include:

• Forecasting
• Problem-solving skills
• Project management experience
• Responsible allocation of funds/expenditures
• Upholding operational policies/ other company policies
• Strategic planning
• Quality assurance
• Inventory management
• Financial management
• Auditing

Qualifications & skills

To succeed at this job, you must possess excellent communication, analytical, research, and organizational skills and be able to work well in a fast-paced environment with multiple deadlines. You must be capable of being responsible for systems analysis and programming support, updates, modifications, and enhancements; overseeing hardware and software vendor relations, contracts, purchases, and services; helping prepare physical inventories and follow-through of proper inventory functions in coordination with the controller and plant manager; managing information services training and development of programs; and purchasing and controlling supplies, equipment, and other company assets.

• Must possess excellent communication skills and be able to work well in a fast-paced, motivating environment with multiple deadlines.
• Ability to work in a team environment with strong analytical, research, and organizational processes is essential.
• Requires an individual capable of making high-level decisions and who has a record of achievement in overseeing manufacturing processes and techniques.
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Excellent decision-making skills.
• Able to maintain a smooth workflow between team members.
• Intensive knowledge of business processes/operating procedures in a related field.

Operations manager responsibilities and duties

Below are approximations of the amount of time you’ll spend carrying out key functions of the position.

Education/Background

A Bachelor’s degree is required, with at least five years’ operations management experience work experience. A Master’s degree is preferred. A record of achievement in overseeing manufacturing processes and techniques is a strong plus.

Operations manager interview questions

Once you bring in great candidates, consider some interview questions for achieving the best results for hiring an operations manager. These questions will help you distill the traits or qualities you want out of your operations manager using the answers given. Use a 1-5 rating system to grade the applicant’s answers.

You may also require a cover letter from applicants. Here are a few interview questions to consider:

• Some employees accept change with no problem, while others resist the slightest variation in the way that they do things. How do you introduce change to a person who prefers the status quo?
• If your present boss agreed to make changes in your current job to keep you, what would you want to be changed?
• Give me some examples of your negotiation skills.
• Your immediate boss gives you an order that you know is wrong. How would you handle it?
• Give me an example of when you made a high-level decision without getting approval from upper management.
• How do you keep up-to-date with the constant changes in technology that affect company operations?
• What do you think will be the biggest changes in such areas as inventory and management information over the next few years?
• Have you ever introduced a cost-cutting program that improved your operations as well as saved money?
• If I called up several of your vendors, what would they say about you?
• Describe some of the training sessions you’ve held for your department.
• How do you juggle the numerous demands from multiple departments?
• What has been your greatest achievement in operations management thus far?
• How do deadline pressures and a fast-paced work environment affect your ability to produce?

Wrapping up interview questions

Human resources: feel free to add additional questions to the list that may be specific to your operation.

Write an overall impression of the applicant, and give them an average rating of 1-5 for further comparison with other applicants.

You can also give upper management three recommendation choices:

• Hire
• Do not hire
• Second interview

Follow the above formula for successfully hiring candidates for the operations manager position. Don’t forget to spread wide when putting out job postings — the more online platforms you use for hiring, the better the candidates you’ll get. We hope this helped you hire the perfect operations manager.