Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Operations Assistant Manager

🎯 Role Definition

The Operations Assistant Manager supports day-to-day operations, drives process improvements, and leads frontline teams to meet service, quality and productivity targets. This role acts as the bridge between frontline staff and senior operations leadership, owning operational KPIs, resource planning, cost control, and continuous improvement initiatives across logistics, warehouse, or service-focused environments.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Operations Coordinator / Operations Analyst
Shift Supervisor / Team Lead (Warehouse or Service)
Customer Service Supervisor or Logistics Specialist

Advancement To:

Operations Manager
Senior Operations Manager / Area Manager
Director of Operations / Head of Operations

Lateral Moves:

Supply Chain Analyst / Planner
Logistics Manager / Transportation Manager
Continuous Improvement Specialist / Lean Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead daily operational activities across assigned sites or shifts, ensuring staff adherence to safety protocols, operational procedures, and service-level agreements (SLAs) while driving productivity and quality metrics.
Manage a frontline team — hire, onboard, coach, schedule, and conduct performance reviews — fostering high engagement, low turnover, and a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
Monitor and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) such as throughput, accuracy, punctuality, labor utilization, and customer satisfaction; produce weekly/monthly performance reports and present insights to senior leadership.
Execute workforce planning and shift scheduling to align staffing with demand forecasts, seasonal peaks, and promotional events while controlling overtime and labor costs.
Oversee inventory control processes including cycle counts, discrepancy investigations, returns processing, and shrinkage mitigation; partner with supply chain to maintain optimal stock levels.
Implement and sustain process improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma or Kaizen methodologies to reduce waste, shorten lead times, and improve first-pass quality and on-time delivery.
Coordinate cross-functional communication with procurement, customer service, sales, and finance to resolve escalations, prioritize orders, and align operational execution with business goals.
Manage vendor and carrier relationships for inbound/outbound logistics, negotiating service levels and monitoring performance against contractual KPIs.
Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulations including OSHA, DOT, and industry-specific standards; lead safety audits and corrective action plans.
Oversee point-of-sale or order-fulfillment systems, ensuring accurate transactions, order picking, packing, and distribution processes adhere to company standards.
Develop and manage departmental budgets and expense controls; monitor expenses versus plan and recommend cost-saving measures without compromising service levels.
Lead root-cause analysis and corrective action for operational failures, system outages, or quality incidents; document lessons learned and standardize fixes.
Drive technology adoption (WMS, TMS, ERP modules) and process automation projects to improve operational visibility and reduce manual steps.
Maintain operational metrics dashboards (Power BI, Tableau, or Excel-based) and deliver actionable intelligence to stakeholders; translate data into concrete operational actions.
Supervise onboarding and continuous training programs to maintain competency levels across operations teams, including certifications and procedural refreshers.
Manage space utilization, equipment allocation, and preventive maintenance schedules to ensure uninterrupted operations and minimize downtime.
Support launch and implementation of new products, promotions, or store/site openings by defining staffing models, workflows, and inventory strategies.
Lead customer escalation management for operational issues, working cross-functionally to deliver timely resolutions and follow-up to prevent recurrence.
Participate in strategic planning sessions to align operational capability with business growth, capacity planning and cost-to-serve analysis.
Drive a culture of continuous improvement by facilitating daily stand-ups, Gemba walks, and operational review meetings to keep teams engaged and focused on goals.
Prepare and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), training materials, and audit documentation to ensure consistent, scalable operations.
Ensure accurate billing, reconciliations, and recording of operational transactions in the ERP; collaborate with finance for month-end close and process improvements.
Supervise ad-hoc projects such as layout reconfigurations, pilot programs, and third-party logistics assessments from planning through execution and measurement.

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-site benchmarking and the roll-out of best practices across regions.
Support business continuity and contingency planning for site-level disruptions.
Mentor junior staff and support career development planning and succession pipelines.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Operations management and shift supervision experience (warehousing, retail, or service operations).
Strong knowledge of ERP/WMS/TMS platforms (examples: SAP, Oracle NetSuite, Manhattan, Blue Yonder, JDA).
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, macros) and experience building operational dashboards.
Experience with BI tools (Power BI, Tableau) and working with KPI-driven reporting.
Inventory management and cycle counting processes, with experience reducing shrink and discrepancies.
Familiarity with Lean/Six Sigma tools (Kaizen, 5S, DMAIC) and a track record of process improvement projects.
Budgeting, cost control, and labor forecasting skills; experience preparing variance analyses.
Strong understanding of safety and compliance frameworks (OSHA, DOT, industry-specific standards).
Project management fundamentals and experience leading cross-functional implementation projects.
Basic SQL or data-querying skills (preferred) to extract operational datasets for analysis.
Experience with scheduling and workforce management tools and principles.
Knowledge of quality control methodologies and root cause analysis techniques (5 Whys, fishbone).
Ability to interpret and act upon service-level agreements (SLAs) and contractual KPIs.

Soft Skills

Leadership and people management — coaching, feedback, performance development.
Strong communication and stakeholder management across functions and levels.
Problem solving and analytical mindset with attention to detail.
Time management and prioritization under pressure.
Customer-focused orientation and escalation handling.
Change management and the ability to influence without direct authority.
Resilience and adaptability in fast-paced operational environments.
Collaborative team player who can also work independently.
Ethical decision-making and commitment to safety and compliance.
Continuous improvement mindset and curiosity to test and iterate.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Logistics, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree plus relevant certification (Lean/Six Sigma, APICS/CPIM, PMP) or MBA/Advanced degree in business/operations.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration / Management
Supply Chain Management / Logistics
Industrial Engineering / Operations Research
Finance or Accounting (beneficial for budgeting responsibilities)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–6 years of progressive operations experience with at least 1–2 years in a supervisory or lead role.

Preferred:

5+ years in operations or supply chain roles with demonstrable leadership of teams, successful process improvement projects, hands-on experience with WMS/ERP systems, and evidence of cost and KPI-driven performance improvements.