Operations Manager Job Description
A complete operations manager job description template, the KPI, staffing and budget duties behind the title, and how the job shifts across industries.
"Operations Manager" is one title stretched across very different jobs, and the variable that matters most is industry, not seniority. A warehouse operations manager spends the day on staffing, shift coverage and on-time-ship rates. A retail operations manager is running store-level P&L and loss prevention across a region. A software company's "business operations" manager may never set foot on a warehouse floor at all — the job is closer to internal consulting, cleaning up process and tooling for other departments. Two postings can carry the identical title and share almost no actual duties.
Company size compounds the variation. At a small company, an operations manager is often a generalist who owns whatever isn't covered by sales or engineering — vendor contracts, office logistics, sometimes HR administration. At a larger company the title narrows to a specific function with a defined budget and a team of supervisors reporting up through it, and the generalist duties get split off into other roles. Reading the requirements and responsibilities sections, not just the summary line, is the only reliable way to know which version a given posting describes.
This posting is written for the logistics end of the spectrum: a site-level manager running a distribution center's daily operations, with real staffing and budget authority and a fairly hands-on relationship with the floor. If you're evaluating a different operations manager posting, expect the specifics below — the KPIs, the tools, the team size — to shift with the industry, even where the title and seniority look identical to this one.
Marrowfen · Raleigh, NC
Full-time · Hybrid
$85,000 – $118,000
About the role
Marrowfen is hiring an Operations Manager to run day-to-day operations at our Raleigh distribution center, one of four regional hubs supporting orders across the Southeast. You'll own the site's staffing, shift performance and safety compliance, and carry direct accountability for the operating metrics that matter to the customers downstream of this building — on-time ship rate, order accuracy and cost per unit shipped.
This is a hands-on, floor-facing role rather than a strategy seat. You'll spend real time walking the floor, coaching shift supervisors and fixing what's actually broken, alongside the reporting and budget work that comes with owning a site. We're looking for someone who treats a missed metric as a problem to diagnose, not a number to explain away.
What you'll do
- Own daily operations at the Raleigh distribution center, including staffing levels, shift coverage and throughput against on-time-ship targets.
- Directly manage a team of shift supervisors, and indirectly the warehouse associates under them — hiring, coaching, discipline and performance reviews.
- Track core operating KPIs (on-time ship rate, order accuracy, cost per unit) and report them weekly to the Director of Operations.
- Own the site's operating budget, approving overtime, temporary labor and equipment spend against plan and flagging variances early.
- Partner with transportation, procurement and customer service teams to resolve service issues that start on this floor.
- Lead root-cause investigations when a metric slips, and drive the corrective process change rather than a one-time fix.
- Enforce safety procedures and compliance training, and run the site's recurring safety audits.
- Identify and implement process improvements — layout, staffing model, shift structure — using structured continuous-improvement methods.
What we're looking for
- 5+ years of operations, warehouse or logistics management experience, including 2+ years directly supervising a team.
- A track record of managing to KPI targets — on-time ship rate, order accuracy, cost per unit — rather than just reporting them.
- Experience owning a departmental or site operating budget, including overtime and temporary labor spend.
- Working knowledge of a warehouse management system (WMS) and solid Excel skills for day-to-day reporting.
- Ability to work a shift-based schedule, including some evenings and weekends during peak season.
- Strong communication across the range this job requires — a shift supervisor's language and a director's, in the same week.
Nice to have
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, or equivalent hands-on continuous-improvement experience.
- Experience with an ERP system such as SAP, Oracle or NetSuite.
- Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain or a related field, or equivalent experience running a site.
- Prior experience opening, relocating or scaling a distribution site.
- Bilingual English/Spanish, reflecting the language mix of frontline warehouse staff at this site.
Benefits
- Medical, dental and vision coverage, with employee premiums covered in full.
- 401(k) with a 4% company match, vested immediately.
- Hybrid schedule — one remote day a week, with the rest on-site given the floor-oversight duties of the role.
- Annual bonus tied to site performance against operating targets.
- Professional-development budget usable toward a Lean Six Sigma certification or equivalent.
Salary range
As posted for this sample role. Real pay varies by employer, location and experience.
$85,000–$118,000/ yr
ATS keywords for this role
The applicant tracking system (ATS) — the recruiting software a hiring team searches and filters applicants with — will screen for these. Weight shows how central each one is to this specific posting.
Required and central (3)
Important (9)
Mentioned in passing (6)
Related roles
Frequently asked questions
Does 'operations manager' mean the same thing at every company?
No — this is one of the least consistent titles in the job market. It can mean running a warehouse floor, managing a retail region's P&L, or doing internal process consulting at a software company, depending entirely on the industry. Read the responsibilities section before assuming you know the job from the title alone.
What's the difference between an operations manager and a general manager?
An operations manager typically owns internal processes and execution — staffing, workflow, budget for a specific function or site. A general manager usually carries broader authority, including strategy and full P&L ownership. In practice the line blurs constantly, especially at smaller companies where one person does both.
Do I need a specific degree to become an operations manager?
Rarely a strict requirement. A business, logistics or supply chain degree helps, but a demonstrated record of running a team and hitting operating metrics carries more weight than the credential. Certifications like Lean Six Sigma can substitute for a missing degree on a resume.
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