Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Operations Support Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Operations Support Coordinator is responsible for providing proactive operational support across departments to maintain high service levels and operational efficiency. This role serves as the central point of contact for escalations, tracks and reports on KPIs and SLAs, coordinates logistics and vendor activities, administers operational systems (CRM/ERP/ticketing), and partners with teams to implement process improvements. The ideal candidate blends strong communication, analytical skills, and practical experience with workflow tools to remove friction, reduce cycle times, and improve customer and internal stakeholder satisfaction.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Customer Service Representative (Tier 1/2)
Administrative Assistant or Office Coordinator
Logistics Coordinator or Inventory Associate

Advancement To:

Operations Manager
Senior Operations Analyst / Process Improvement Specialist
Program Manager / Service Delivery Manager

Lateral Moves:

Project Coordinator
Account Manager
Vendor Performance Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Act as day-to-day operations coordinator: monitor incoming requests and tickets, triage and assign work to the appropriate teams, ensure SLA adherence, and escalate issues to leadership when thresholds are breached.
Manage and maintain operational systems (CRM, ERP, ticketing platforms such as ServiceNow, Zendesk, or JIRA), including data hygiene, user access provisioning, workflow rules, and standard operating procedures to ensure accurate, timely processing.
Generate and deliver recurring and ad-hoc operational reports and dashboards (Power BI, Tableau, Excel) tracking KPIs such as SLA compliance, throughput, backlog, first-time resolution, and cycle time to inform leadership decisions.
Lead incident management for operational disruptions: coordinate cross-functional containment efforts, document timelines, communicate status updates to stakeholders, and support post-incident root cause analysis and remediation plans.
Drive continuous process improvements using data-driven analysis and process mapping (Lean, 5S, or Kaizen principles), propose operational enhancements, pilot changes, measure impact, and scale successful improvements across teams.
Serve as the primary liaison between operations, customer success, sales, finance, and vendor partners to coordinate transactions, resolve discrepancies, and maintain consistent handoffs and expectations.
Coordinate logistics and order fulfillment processes, including scheduling, carrier/vendor coordination, inventory checks, and escalation handling to ensure on-time delivery and reduce exceptions.
Administer onboarding and training for new operational staff on tools, processes, escalation paths, and documented SOPs; maintain and update training materials and knowledge base articles.
Support billing, reconciliation, and invoice processing activities by validating operational inputs, investigating variances with finance teams, and ensuring timely resolution of disputes.
Maintain and continuously improve the issue tracking lifecycle: creating standardized ticket templates, SLA thresholds, priority matrices, routing rules, and escalation procedures to reduce time-to-resolution.
Conduct trend analysis on customer escalations and operations errors to identify systemic issues and propose preventive controls, reducing repeat incidents and improving customer satisfaction.
Coordinate vendor and third-party performance reviews, track contract SLAs, manage escalations with suppliers, and recommend vendor optimization opportunities based on performance data.
Facilitate weekly operational cadence meetings, including agenda creation, minute taking, action tracking, and follow-up to ensure alignment across teams and closure of open action items.
Ensure compliance with internal controls, data privacy, regulatory requirements, and audit requests by maintaining accurate records and participating in control testing and remediation activities.
Support capacity planning and resource allocation by analyzing workload, forecasting demand, and coordinating temporary staffing or overtime to maintain service levels during peaks.
Execute quality assurance and spot-check audits on operational outputs to ensure accuracy, compliance with standards, and identify training gaps for continuous improvement.
Manage special projects for operations such as system implementations, process re-engineering initiatives, or pilot programs; coordinate stakeholders, timelines, risk logs, and post-implementation reviews.
Build and maintain an up-to-date operations knowledge base and process documentation (SOPs, runbooks, FAQs) to shorten onboarding time and reduce repeat inquiries.
Prepare executive summaries and briefing materials for leadership that translate operational metrics and root-cause insights into recommended actions and investment priorities.
Support contract renewals and SLA negotiations by providing operational performance metrics, improvement plans, and risk assessments to commercial teams.
Implement data quality controls and reconciliation procedures across multiple data sources (CRM, billing, logistics) to ensure accurate reporting and decision making.
Manage customer-facing communications for operational incidents and planned maintenance, drafting clear status updates, timelines for resolution, and follow-up satisfaction checks.
Coordinate with IT and security teams to prioritize and test system changes that impact operations, including user acceptance testing, rollback plans, and communication strategies.
Track and manage recurring operational expenses and vendor invoices, flag exceptions, and work with procurement/finance to ensure timely approvals and payments.

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.
Assist with cross-functional process workshops and stakeholder interviews to collect requirements for process automation opportunities.
Support internal audits and compliance activities by preparing documentation and evidencing controls related to operational processes.
Act as backup for related coordination roles during team absences (e.g., shift leads, dispatcher, or operations analyst).

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced Microsoft Excel (vlookups/XLOOKUP, pivot tables, Power Query) for complex data analysis and reporting.
Experience building dashboards and visualizations in Power BI or Tableau to monitor operational KPIs and trends.
Proficiency with CRM and ticketing systems (e.g., Salesforce, ServiceNow, Zendesk, Freshdesk) to manage case flows and maintain data integrity.
Familiarity with ERP systems, order management, and supply chain tools (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, Oracle) for coordinating fulfillment and billing tasks.
Strong SQL skills (basic to intermediate) to extract, join, and analyze data across operational datasets for root-cause analysis.
Experience with workflow automation tools (e.g., Zapier, Microsoft Power Automate, Workato) and process mapping tools (Visio, Lucidchart).
Knowledge of incident management frameworks and SLA measurement methodologies for service delivery.
Comfort with ticket routing and queue management, priority matrices, and escalation playbooks.
Basic understanding of vendor management and procurement processes, including contract SLA monitoring.
Experience creating and maintaining SOPs, runbooks, knowledge base articles, and training materials.
Familiarity with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 collaboration tools (SharePoint, Teams) for documentation and stakeholder communication.
Ability to run quality assurance checks and design test cases for operational workflows or system changes.

Soft Skills

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills for clear stakeholder updates, executive summaries, and customer-facing messages.
Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills; adept at building consensus across operations, finance, product, and customer success teams.
Proactive problem solver with strong analytical thinking and attention to detail to identify root causes and propose durable fixes.
Excellent time management, prioritization, and multitasking abilities in high-volume, deadline-driven environments.
Customer-centric mindset with empathy for internal and external customers and a drive to improve the end-to-end experience.
Adaptability and resilience to navigate ambiguous situations and shifting priorities.
Strong organizational skills and a process-oriented mentality to document workflows and enforce consistent execution.
Facilitation and meeting-management skills to run effective operational cadences and working sessions.
Critical thinking and decision-making abilities, balancing risk and speed to maintain service continuity.
Collaborative team player who mentors peers, shares knowledge, and builds a culture of continuous improvement.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Logistics, or related field; OR equivalent practical experience (2+ years) in operations or customer support.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Industrial Engineering, or related discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration
Operations Management
Supply Chain / Logistics
Information Systems
Industrial Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2 to 5 years of progressive experience in operations support, customer operations, logistics coordination, or service delivery roles.

Preferred:

3+ years supporting high-volume operations with measurable SLA ownership, experience with CRM/ERP systems, and demonstrated success driving process improvements or automation projects.