Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Director of Operations

🎯 Role Definition

The Director of Operations is a strategic, hands-on leader accountable for delivering reliable, scalable, and cost-effective operational outcomes across the organization. This role blends people leadership, financial stewardship, process excellence, and cross-functional program execution to ensure customer satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and sustainable growth. The Director of Operations partners with executive leadership to set operational strategy, define KPIs, and translate strategy into measurable results.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Operations Manager with end-to-end process ownership
Plant/Facility Manager with multi-site responsibility
Head of Supply Chain or Logistics with sourcing and distribution experience

Advancement To:

Vice President of Operations
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Senior Vice President, Global Operations

Lateral Moves:

Head of Supply Chain & Procurement
Director of Program Management or Delivery
Director of Customer Experience / Service Operations

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Own full P&L accountability for assigned business units or operational functions, developing annual budgets, forecasting monthly/quarterly performance, and recommending corrective actions to meet financial targets.
Design and execute the operational strategy to support company growth, including capacity planning, facility utilization, and go-to-market operational readiness aligned to business priorities.
Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing operations leadership team; set clear objectives, conduct performance management, and build leadership bench strength for scale.
Define, track, and continually improve key operational KPIs (on-time delivery, cycle times, throughput, inventory turns, cost per unit, NPS) and implement clear reporting for executive leadership.
Drive process improvement programs (Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen) to eliminate waste, increase productivity, and reduce cost while safeguarding quality and compliance.
Oversee end-to-end supply chain and logistics functions, including demand planning, inventory management, vendor sourcing, distribution strategy, and returns management.
Implement and optimize ERP/WMS/TMS systems (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Manhattan, Blue Yonder) to improve data accuracy, reporting cadence, and operational control.
Manage vendor relationships and negotiate contracts for logistics, fulfillment, manufacturing, and specialty services to ensure service level agreements and cost competitiveness.
Lead cross-functional operational launches (new products, new channels, geographic expansion), coordinating manufacturing, supply chain, QA, customer support, and IT to hit launch targets.
Establish and enforce operational policies, SOPs, and controls to ensure regulatory compliance (OSHA, FDA, ISO where applicable) and mitigate operational risk.
Build and execute business continuity and disaster recovery plans, including contingency sourcing, alternate logistics routes, and crisis communication protocols.
Optimize workforce planning and labor models; partner with HR on recruiting, retention strategies, compensation structure, and training programs to meet operational demand.
Drive continuous improvement in customer experience by partnering with Sales and Customer Support to reduce escalations, improve SLA performance, and increase customer retention.
Oversee facilities management and capital projects (site expansions, equipment procurement, automation investments), managing budgets, timelines, and vendor deliverables.
Lead operational due diligence and integration activities for M&A opportunities, aligning processes, systems, and teams to realize synergies and cost savings.
Implement performance-based scorecards and incentives for operations teams to align behavior with strategic business outcomes.
Direct risk management and compliance programs, including safety protocols, quality assurance, environmental compliance, and supplier audits.
Partner with Finance to model scenario planning, cost-to-serve analyses, and operational levers to improve margins and cash flow.
Champion data-driven decision-making by standardizing metrics, enhancing data quality, and using analytics (SQL, BI tools) to inform capacity, staffing, and investment decisions.
Lead capital allocation decisions for automation, tooling, and technology investments that improve throughput and lower total cost of operations.
Manage cross-border operational complexity including import/export compliance, duties, cross-docking, and regional distribution strategies.
Drive sustainability and ESG initiatives within operations, including waste reduction, energy efficiency, and supplier sustainability assessments.
Facilitate stakeholder communication and executive briefings, translating operational performance into strategic recommendations and investment priorities.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

P&L management, financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting expertise.
Operational strategy development and execution for multi-site or multi-channel operations.
Supply chain planning, inventory optimization, and demand forecasting (S&OP experience).
Process improvement methodologies: Lean, Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt preferred), Kaizen.
ERP/WMS/TMS implementation and optimization (experience with SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Manhattan, Blue Yonder, or equivalent).
Vendor management, contract negotiation, and procurement best practices.
Performance metrics and KPI design, dashboarding, and reporting (Power BI, Tableau, Looker).
Project and program management, including cross-functional launch and integration experience.
Regulatory compliance and risk management knowledge (OSHA, FDA, ISO standards as applicable).
Data literacy: familiarity with SQL, data visualization, and translating analytics into operational decisions.
Capacity planning, workforce modeling, and labor cost optimization.
Experience with automation/robotics investments and capital project oversight.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and team development skills with a track record of scaling high-performing teams.
Strategic thinking with the ability to translate vision into operational plans and measurable outcomes.
Excellent written and verbal communication; comfortable presenting to executive stakeholders and boards.
Cross-functional collaboration and influence without direct authority.
Change management and organizational design expertise to lead transformations.
Problem-solving mindset, decisiveness under pressure, and reliance on data-driven analysis.
Customer-centric orientation with the ability to balance customer needs and operational constraints.
Resilience, adaptability, and bias for action in ambiguous or high-growth environments.
Coaching and mentorship capability to develop mid-level managers and future leaders.
Strong negotiation skills and diplomatic stakeholder management.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

MBA, Master’s in Operations/Industrial Engineering, or equivalent advanced degree.
Professional certifications: Lean/Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt), CPIM, CSCP, PMP, or related credentials.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Operations Management
Supply Chain & Logistics
Industrial / Mechanical / Systems Engineering
Business Administration / Finance
Project Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

8–15 years of progressive operations experience, including at least 3–5 years in a senior leadership role with multi-site or cross-functional responsibility.

Preferred:

10+ years leading operations in a similar industry, demonstrated P&L ownership, large team management (50+ direct/indirect reports), ERP implementation experience, and successful execution of process improvement programs or M&A integrations.