Certification and Licensure for the job of Director of Operations

Generally directors of operations are people who have worked in an organization for many years and along with their education have the years of experience to get promoted to this level. A license is not required to become a director of operations.

• Managers attending in house training seminars get broader knowledge of the organization.
• They can also attend seminars and meetings of various associations whereby increasing their network of contacts.
• They may also show initiative by completing successfully national and local training programs and courses such as the Certified Manager credential (CM) offered by the Institute of Certified Professional Managers.
• This certification can be taken up by those seeking to enter management and also by senior management where they have to complete training and pass an exam.
• Certification is completely voluntary but people who are in fields such as accounting or engineering can develop and demonstrate executive and managerial skills.

H0pw much the Director of Operations earn?

The salary of a Director of Operations is different in different settings. The average annual salary depends on various factors such as years of experience, the industry that they work in, the type of employer with whom they work or the city or state or province that they work in. The average annual salary that a director of operations receives is between the range of $ 43,608 and $ 153,237 which is inclusive of bonus and profit sharing.

• Years of Experience

• Experience of less than one year the salary range is between $ 10,137 and $ 101,014.
• Experience between one to four years the salary range is between $ 33,688 and $ 103,661 and the hourly wage range is between $ 11.07 and $ 39.73.
• Experience between five to nine years the salary range is between $ 40,070 and $ 103,655 and an hourly wage range is between $ 12.91 and $ 28.27.
• Experience between ten to nineteen years the salary range is between $ 52,985 and $ 136,346 and an hourly wage range is between $ 15.50 and 50.07.
• Experience of more than twenty years the salary range is between $ 60,665 and $ 153,933 and an hourly wage range is between $ 13.50 and $ 42.29

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• Industry

• A director of operations working in healthcare gets an annual salary range between $ 52,933 and $ 116,346.
• A director of operations working in bio fuel energy or bio fuel power gets an annual salary range between $ 40,038 and $ 114,811.
• A director of operations working in information technology (IT) services gets an annual salary range between $ 58,723 and $ 151,168.
• A director of operations working in hotel or hotels gets an annual salary range between $ 36,367 and $ 101,595.
• A director of operations working in restaurant(s) gets an annual salary range between $ 49,910 and $ 117,916.
• A director of operations working in manufacturing and distribution gets an annual salary range between $ 49,242 and $ 142,980.
• A director of operations working in financial services gets an annual salary range between $ 48,500 and $ 117,500.

• Employer Type

• A director of operations working for a company gets an annual salary range between $ 48,932 and $ 141,459 and an hourly wage rate between $ 12.06 and $ 41.43.
• A director of operations working for a non profit organization gets an annual salary range between $ 34,255 and 97,941 and an hourly wage rate between $ 17.61 and $ 43.51.
• A director of operations working for a private practice or firm gets an annual salary range between $ 38,541 and $ 131,089 and an hourly wage rate between $ 22.27 and $ 67.50.
• A director of operations working for other organization gets an annual salary range between $ 49,691 and $ 136,359.
• A director of operations working for a hospital gets an annual salary range between $ 61,470 and $ 127,858.
• A director of operations working for a franchise  gets an annual salary range between $ 44,385 and $ 92,886.
• A director of operations working for a college or university gets an annual salary range between $ 37,480 and $ 88,190.
• A director of operations working for a government – state and local gets an annual salary range between $ 42,085 and $ 154,930.
• A director of operations working for a government – federal gets an annual salary range between $ 68,220 and $ 166,673.
• A director of operations who is self-employed gets an annual salary range between $ 35,000 and $ 80,000.
• A director of operations working for a foundation or trust gets an annual salary range between $ 50,000 and $ 81,999.
• A director of operations working for a school or school district gets an annual salary range between $ 45,000 and $ 85,814.
• A director of operations working for a team gets an annual salary range between $ 34,392 and $ 50,868.
• A director of operations working for a contract gets an annual salary range between $ 52,925 and $ 73,208.

• City
  • A director of operations working in New York, New York gets an annual salary range between $ 44,906 and $ 144,249.
  • A director of operations working in Chicago, Illinois gets an annual salary range between $ 48,165 and $ 146,807.
  • A director of operations working in Los Angeles, California gets an annual salary range between $ 44,114 and $ 151,313.
  • A director of operations working in Houston, Texas gets an annual salary range between $ 57,812 and $ 141,030.
  • A director of operations working in Washington, District of Columbia gets an annual salary range between $ 48,070 and $ 131,140.
  • A director of operations working in Atlanta, Georgia gets an annual salary range between $ 48,656 and $ 163,995.
  • A director of operations working in San Francisco, California gets an annual salary range between $ 56,498 and $ 150,000.

In this profession there are more males than females and the percentile ratio of females to males is 38% to 62% respectively.

The average annual salary that a female receives in this profession is between the range of $ 50,865 and $ 89,803 and the males receive an average annual salary between the range of $ 6,343 and $ 115,063.

They also get the industry’s usual benefits such as 401(k), paid leave or holidays, paid sick leave, life insurance and disability, etc.

They also get the common health benefits and 82% said that they receive medical benefits, 68% said that they receive benefits towards dental, and 50% said that they receive benefits for vision, while 15% said that they do not receive any common health benefits.

Skills and Abilities needed by a Director of Operations

• Excellent and persuasive communication skills, both verbal as well as written.
• Must have the ability to motivate and must have a functional working relationship with the staff as well as with the other executives.
• Must have a good analytical mind which would be able to assimilate and disseminate information received as reports and data from the departmental heads.
• Must decisive, self motivated, flexible yet firm, sound business judgement; all in all excellent leadership qualities.
• Must have excellent judgement and experience to plan and set difficult yet achievable targets.
• Must have the ability to work towards the goals set by the organization.

Duties and Responsibility for the Director of Operations

A director of operations works under The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Or Chief Operations Officer (COO) and has the line of duties to perform as per what is delegated to them.

They check whether the other heads of department are working according to the guidelines, goals and policies laid down by the chief executive officer.

The role of a director of operations is one of the most challenging one in an organization as he wears several hats and has to be an expert juggler (metaphorically speaking) constantly keeping all the balls in the air.

Though, they may not be specialists in all the fields that the department heads lead, the constant pressure to do well in all is very challenging.

That is one of the most crucial reasons that they appoint the right person as the department head.

The duties and responsibilities of a director of operation is given below.

• Manufacture or Service Management:
  • Director of operations establishes controls for the machinery or equipment used for the manufacture or services are of good quality and that they produce goods to the satisfaction of the client.
  • Establishes the quality control standards for production which the quality assurance manger keeps it as the benchmark to check whether the goods or services produced are of the acceptable level.
  • Goes through the reports from the manufacturing or services department heads to check the veracity of the reports and directs the operational, manufacture and maintenance reports to resolve problems, keep the costs at the minimum and prevent any delays in operation.

• Budgetary Control:
  • Coordinates the developments of budgets and cost control for each department.
  • Implements measures which would ensure that the production cost and any other established costs are within the budget.
  • Reviews the performance of each department vis-a-vis budgets and other key targets.

• Optimising Support Services:
  • The support services such as the administration department, human resources department, IT department play a significant role in the overall operation of an organization and it is the director of operations duty to see that it runs smoothly.
  • They review the income and expenditure of the company to determine what more can be done so that the operations of the company can improve.
  • Have periodic and annual meetings with the HR department head to see that the staff positions are filled by competent and hard working staff through promotions or new recruitment.
  • Also checks the with the administration head to ensure that the facilities, stationery and maintenance sections are working at optimum levels for the satisfaction of the staff.

Educational Requirements for a Director of Operations

Employers look for a bachelor’s degree in finance, business or related field.

People who have a master’s degree in the above field are generally preferred.

An MBA with a specialization in management, especially operations management are preferred.

About Director of Operations

Director of operations as the name suggests is a highly responsible position in an organization. Sometimes the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and the director of operations are one and the same in larger corporations they are two distinct portfolios where the director of operations reports to the chief operating officer who in turn reports to the chief executive officer. At other times where the organization is not so large the chief executive officer performs the duties of the chief operating officer as well as the director of operations.

The director of operations where he is also the Chief Operating Officer (COO) is the number two position where the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman is the number one. The director of operations is the boss of all department heads be they in manufacturing or service oriented companies, accounts, administration or human resources department and they all report to him. He looks after the daily working of the company and he might not go into the details of a particular department daily, but will have the pulse of that department. The heads of departments prepare MIS (Management Information Service) reports and present it to the director of operations. The department heads have to see that their specific department is functioning at the optimum level and take care of any glitches happening within. They inform the department of operations about such malfunctioning in a department and keep him abreast of the situation. They might also want the intervention and seek the help of the director before things go out of hand. The director of operations is required to solve problems in a quick and timely fashion.