What are the Different Operations Director Jobs?

Operations director jobs are usually high-level positions within an organization, with the incumbent being responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization or a subsidiary business unit. The specific duties of an operations director are based on the actual functions of the organization or business unit; the operations directory of a factory would be responsible for the oversight of all manufacturing operations, while the operations director of a landscaping company would have a set of responsibilities oriented toward landscaping.

In larger organizations, such as publicly-held corporations, the operations director generally has the title of chief operations officer (COO). Individual business units within the organization, such as manufacturing facilities and distribution centers, may also have operations director jobs, with the duties defined by the nature of the business unit. Operations director jobs often include responsibility for functions performed by specialists in different disciplines. For example, an operations director may supervise manufacturing personnel, as well as the housekeeping and engineering staff operating in the facility and the administrative staff. Operations directors also are often responsible for directing the activities of the human resources staff, even though that staff may have its own specialized director.

While operations director jobs are sometimes filled from outside an organization, many organizations prefer to promote individuals to that position from within. Operations director jobs require a great deal of knowledge about an organization and how it functions, often information that’s not readily available in training manuals. Individuals who’ve already spent some time within an organization thus have a better understanding both of the organization’s formal structure and procedures, as well as the informal relationships that often are just as significant as those set forth in manuals and protocols.

Those same reasons prompt other organizations to seek outsiders for their operations director jobs, reasoning that the existence of a hidden network of relationships and procedures, known only to long-term insiders, runs counter to more modern concepts of openness and accessibility. The person who holds the position of operations director, they reason, should be good at it for reasons of knowledge, experience and competence, not because of some set of hidden knowledge.

In the American military, operations director jobs are held by staff officers of battalion-sized and larger units, usually called Operations and Training Officer. In combat, this officer is responsible for all unit deployments and movements, while in peacetime, is responsible for the unit’s training and readiness.