Operations Manager Career Guide

The main role of the operations manager is to oversee the flow of goods throughout the entire chain. This includes receiving products at the warehouse, managing stock and dispatching deliveries.

The company relies on this professional to ensure that the entire process runs smoothly and on time, within the agreed budget. 

To do this, the operations manager:

• Manages the logistics teams
• Proposes the most suitable transport methods (road, sea, air, etc.) to the parties concerned (company, customers, suppliers, etc.)
• Plans deliveries and the role of each person involved (forklift operator, order picker, driver, etc.)
• Takes care of fleet maintenance
• Ensures compliance with current safety standards
• Works to improve transport profitability

Operations managers work in many sectors and within different types of organizations. All companies that need someone to manage their transport logistics turn to this professional.

Operations managers can work in:

• Product or service distribution companies
• Transport companies
• E-commerce
• Construction companies
• Industrial factories

To maintain their versatility and operational efficiency, operations managers spend their days in the field, at warehouses and transport centres, as well as in their offices performing organizational tasks.

While Operations Managers focus on the execution and optimization of day-to-day logistics activities, their scope is more operational than strategic. In larger organizations, this role often sits within a broader supply chain structure.

Supply chain managers, by contrast, oversee the entire supply chain strategy, from procurement and production to distribution and customer delivery. They define long-term optimization plans and coordinate multiple operational roles, including operations managers.

As a result, the position of operations manager is frequently considered a stepping stone toward broader supply chain leadership roles, such as Supply Chain Manager.

After a few years of experience, an operations manager can progress to the more generalist role of logistics manager. In this role, the professional has a broader scope of responsibility, overseeing not only procurement and warehousing, but also packaging and distribution.

As the name suggests, this expert oversees the entire production chain for a product. Their experience in operations allows them to identify areas for improvement in order to optimize costs and streamline processes to achieve set objectives.

This professional develops and executes a strategy designed to manage a company’s entire production chain: from the receipt of raw materials to delivery to the customer.

The logistics consultant advises companies and start-ups on improving their logistics operations, particularly when it comes to e-commerce businesses. They provide their clients with concrete levers to optimize the logistics management of their warehouses.