Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Operations Director

🎯 Role Definition

The Operations Director is a senior leadership role responsible for designing, executing, and continuously improving the end-to-end operational model across manufacturing, distribution, field services, or corporate operations. The Operations Director drives operational excellence, ensures consistent delivery against service-level agreements (SLAs) and KPIs, owns P&L performance for assigned lines of business, leads cross-functional teams to scale processes and systems, and partners with C-suite stakeholders to translate strategy into measurable operational outcomes. This role requires deep experience in process improvement (Lean, Six Sigma), supply chain and logistics optimization, people leadership, budget ownership, risk and compliance management, and enterprise systems (ERP, WMS, TMS, BI).

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Operations Manager or Regional Operations Manager with 5–10+ years of progressive operations leadership
Plant Manager, Distribution Center Manager, or Head of Logistics with P&L exposure
Director of Supply Chain, Director of Manufacturing, or Director of Field Services

Advancement To:

Vice President of Operations
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
General Manager / Country Head for larger business units

Lateral Moves:

Head of Supply Chain or Logistics
Director of Customer Service / Service Delivery
Director of Quality and Continuous Improvement

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead, mentor, and scale multi-site operations teams by building high-performing leaders, establishing clear accountability frameworks, and driving a culture of continuous improvement; directly manage senior managers and indirectly lead 100+ operational staff where applicable.
Own full P&L accountability for assigned operations, develop annual operating budgets and forecasts, monitor monthly financial performance, implement corrective plans to achieve margin, cost, and revenue targets, and present results to executive leadership and board-level stakeholders.
Define and execute the operations strategy in alignment with corporate objectives; translate strategic goals into operational plans with clear milestones, resource plans, and measurable KPIs across safety, quality, on-time delivery, and cost-to-serve.
Implement and sustain process improvement programs (Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen) to reduce operating costs, improve throughput, shorten lead times, and raise first-time quality; lead DMAIC projects or sponsor Green/Black Belt initiatives.
Design and optimize end-to-end supply chain and logistics processes, including demand planning collaboration, inventory policy and optimization, inbound/outbound transportation, warehousing operations, and returns management to improve service levels and reduce working capital.
Lead capacity planning and workforce optimization: forecast demand-driven resource needs, build seasonal and contingency staffing models, develop training and succession plans, and implement labor productivity metrics and incentive programs.
Oversee quality management and compliance programs, including ISO, regulatory, and customer-specific audits; implement corrective/preventive actions (CAPA) and maintain certifications and traceability where required.
Drive digital transformation by selecting, implementing, and optimizing enterprise systems (ERP, WMS, TMS, MES) and analytics platforms; partner with IT to ensure integrations, data governance, and operational reporting are fit for decision making.
Establish and track a robust KPI framework (OTD, perfect order, cycle time, inventory turns, cost per unit, safety incident rate) and implement dashboards and weekly/monthly business reviews that surface issues and drive accountable actions.
Manage supplier and vendor relationships, negotiate contracts and SLAs, enforce vendor performance reviews, and develop alternate sourcing strategies to mitigate supply risk and control costs.
Lead cross-functional projects including new product introductions (NPI), site launches, capacity expansions, and mergers & acquisitions operational integrations; create detailed project plans, resource matrices, and post-implementation reviews.
Ensure operational risk management and business continuity planning: develop disaster recovery and crisis response plans, run tabletop exercises, and maintain site-level redundancies to protect service continuity.
Drive customer-focused operational excellence by partnering with Sales, Customer Success, and Product teams to define service levels, manage escalations, and implement root-cause corrective actions to improve Net Promoter Score (NPS) and customer retention.
Implement health, safety, and environmental (HSE) programs and champion a zero-harm culture; monitor OSHA/Regulatory compliance, lead incident investigations, and implement preventative countermeasures.
Optimize cost-to-serve and drive margin improvement through value engineering, spend analysis, transportation mode optimization, and continuous value-stream mapping.
Design and implement standard operating procedures (SOPs), work instructions, and governance controls to ensure operational consistency and scalability across sites and channels.
Lead change management initiatives to support large-scale operational transformation: build stakeholder alignment, define communication plans, manage resistance, and measure adoption and benefits realization.
Build and maintain a high-quality management information system (MIS) and financial controls to ensure accurate operational costing, inventory accounting, and capital expenditure tracking.
Develop talent pipelines and succession plans for critical roles, implement leadership development programs, and create performance management processes tied to business outcomes.
Steward corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability programs at the operational level, including waste-reduction programs, energy efficiency projects, and supplier sustainability standards.
Monitor competitive and market trends impacting operations (freight rates, raw material availability, labor market shifts) and adapt operational plans to maintain service and margin objectives.
Partner with Legal, Finance, and Compliance to deploy contract compliance programs, data privacy protections in operational systems, and to manage operational exposure to regulatory changes.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to surface operational trends and support enterprise forecasting.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by recommending KPIs, data sources, and analytics use cases that enable predictive operations and automation.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering and reporting requirements, including integration specifications and data quality standards.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering and IT teams to prioritize operational system enhancements and automate manual workflows.
Represent operations in cross-functional leadership forums, strategy offsites, and board-level reporting sessions, preparing executive-ready materials and recommendations.
Support commercial initiatives including pricing changes, promotional planning, and channel expansion by modeling operational impact and execution plans.
Mentor and coach managers in using data-driven decision-making and operational problem-solving tools (A3 thinking, root cause analysis, 5 Whys).
Conduct vendor and technology evaluations, produce TCO analyses, and lead procurement for operational technology and capital equipment projects.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

P&L Ownership & Financial Acumen: budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, cost control, and margin optimization.
Operations Strategy & Execution: translating strategic objectives into operational plans, KPI frameworks, and performance reviews.
Process Improvement: Lean, Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt preferred), Kaizen facilitation, value stream mapping, and continuous improvement methodologies.
Supply Chain & Logistics: inventory management, demand planning, warehouse operations, transportation management, and reverse logistics.
Enterprise Systems: strong experience with ERP (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics), WMS/TMS, MES, and integration patterns.
Data & Analytics: operational reporting, BI tools (Tableau, Power BI), SQL basics, and building dashboards for realtime decision making.
Project & Program Management: delivering large cross-functional initiatives, new site launches, capital projects, and M&A integrations.
Quality & Compliance: ISO standards, CAPA programs, regulatory compliance, and audit management.
Vendor & Contract Management: RFP processes, SLA negotiation, and supplier performance management.
Risk Management & Business Continuity: contingency planning, crisis response, and operational resilience strategies.
Safety & Environmental Management: HSE program management, OSHA/regulatory compliance, and incident investigation.
Technology Adoption: experience evaluating and implementing automation, robotics, and digital workflow tools.

Soft Skills

Strategic Leadership: ability to set a clear vision, align teams, and lead through ambiguity.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: proven track record of partnering with Sales, Product, Finance, and IT to achieve business goals.
Communication & Presentation: executive-level reporting, clear stakeholder communication, and persuasive negotiation skills.
Change Management: credibility to drive cultural change, coach managers, and ensure adoption of new processes.
Problem Solving & Critical Thinking: data-driven decision making, structured root-cause analysis, and pragmatic solution design.
People Development: coaching, talent development, succession planning, and building diverse, inclusive teams.
Time Management & Prioritization: focus on high-impact initiatives with disciplined execution.
Influencing & Stakeholder Management: ability to build consensus and escalate appropriately across matrixed organizations.
Resilience & Adaptability: comfortable managing competing priorities in fast-paced, high-growth environments.
Customer Orientation: strong commitment to service excellence and continuous improvement of customer experience.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

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

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree or MBA preferred; graduate degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, or related discipline is advantageous.
Relevant certifications such as Lean Six Sigma Black/Green Belt, APICS/CPIM/CSCP, PMP, or ISO lead auditor are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Operations Management
Supply Chain Management
Industrial or Mechanical Engineering
Business Administration / Finance

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

8–15+ years of progressive operations experience with at least 5 years in senior management roles; experience in multi-site operations preferred.

Preferred:

10+ years of leadership with demonstrable P&L responsibility, experience leading cross-functional teams, and a track record of delivering measurable productivity, quality, and cost improvements.
Experience in the company’s industry (manufacturing, retail, e-commerce, logistics, healthcare, or field services) is highly desirable.
Prior experience implementing ERP/WMS/TMS platforms, leading digital transformation projects, and managing large capital programs.