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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Operations Staff

💰 $40,000 - $65,000

OperationsLogisticsSupply ChainAdministrative

🎯 Role Definition

The Operations Staff role supports the smooth functioning of core business operations by executing standard operating procedures (SOPs), monitoring daily KPIs, coordinating with internal teams and external vendors, and driving continuous improvements in processes and systems. This role is hands-on and operationally focused, responsible for resolving exceptions, maintaining accurate records, and ensuring compliance with quality, safety and regulatory requirements. The ideal candidate balances tactical execution with proactive problem-solving, brings strong organizational skills, and communicates effectively across finance, customer service, logistics, and product teams.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Operations Intern or Graduate Trainee
  • Administrative Assistant or Office Coordinator
  • Customer Service Representative

Advancement To:

  • Operations Supervisor / Team Lead
  • Operations Manager or Logistics Manager
  • Supply Chain Planner or Process Improvement Lead

Lateral Moves:

  • Logistics Coordinator
  • Project Coordinator
  • Quality Assurance Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Execute daily operational workflows (order processing, inventory checks, shipment coordination) to meet SLA targets, escalating exceptions to supervisors and documenting root causes and corrective actions.
  • Maintain accurate, audit-ready inventory records across warehouses and channels by performing cycle counts, reconciling discrepancies, and updating ERP/warehouse management system (WMS) entries.
  • Coordinate inbound and outbound logistics with carriers and 3PL partners, scheduling pickups, confirming delivery windows, and resolving transit exceptions to minimize delivery delays.
  • Process purchase orders and supplier invoices in accordance with procurement policies, ensuring price, quantity, and receipt-of-goods reconciliation before routing for payment.
  • Implement and follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) for daily tasks; propose SOP updates when process gaps are identified and lead small-scale updates and training for affected stakeholders.
  • Monitor key operational metrics (order accuracy, on-time shipments, inventory turnover, fill rate) and prepare concise daily/weekly reports for operations leadership and cross-functional partners.
  • Serve as primary liaison between customer service, sales, and warehouse teams to resolve escalated order issues, returns, and warranty claims while preserving customer satisfaction and minimizing financial impact.
  • Supervise and audit packing and labeling processes to ensure compliance with product specifications, regulatory marking, and carrier requirements, reducing error rates and returns.
  • Manage vendor relationships at the operational level, including onboarding, performance tracking (OTIF, lead times), and coordinating corrective action plans to address service gaps.
  • Support month-end close activities by preparing inventory and operations-related reconciliations, variance explanations, and documentation for finance and audit review.
  • Execute root cause analysis on recurring operational failures, draft corrective and preventative action (CAPA) plans, and coordinate cross-functional implementation to prevent recurrence.
  • Administer daily capacity planning and resource allocation for warehouse or operations teams by forecasting workload and coordinating temporary support or shift adjustments.
  • Ensure workplace health, safety and regulatory compliance by conducting routine inspections, logging incidents, and maintaining incident response readiness and documentation.
  • Configure and maintain operational data within enterprise systems (ERP, WMS, TMS) including master data updates, SKUs, reorder points, and site-based configurations to support accurate transactions.
  • Support pricing and billing operations by validating shipment weights/dimensions, freight charges, and invoice data prior to billing or carrier dispute resolution.
  • Lead and document continuous improvement initiatives (5S, Kaizen events, process mapping) by collecting data, proposing improvements, and measuring outcomes against predefined KPIs.
  • Coordinate product returns, refurbishments or disposals by documenting disposition decisions, executing reverse logistics processes, and communicating status to stakeholders to recover value or minimize liability.
  • Facilitate operational onboarding and training for new hires by delivering task-based instruction, competency checks, and maintaining training records and proficiency matrices.
  • Run exception management workflows for damaged, lost, or missing inventory — investigating incidents, filing claims with carriers/vendors, and updating accounting and operations records accordingly.
  • Maintain and enforce inventory controls for high-value or regulated items, implementing restricted access, cycle counts, and reconciliation procedures to reduce shrinkage and compliance risk.
  • Participate in cross-functional projects (system implementations, go-lives, process rollouts) by capturing business requirements, supporting user acceptance testing (UAT), and providing go-live operational support.
  • Prepare and present operational summaries and improvement proposals to managers and stakeholders, using data visualization tools and narrative summaries to drive decisions.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory analysis to inform operational decisions, maintain clean datasets, and generate repeatable dashboards for recurring reports.
  • Contribute to the organization's operational strategy by identifying automation opportunities and helping prioritize roadmap items with business impact estimates.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate operational pain points into requirements for engineering, IT, and external vendors, ensuring clear acceptance criteria.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies when operations-related enhancements or system changes are being scoped or delivered.
  • Assist in vendor audits and compliance documentation by compiling process evidence, performance reports, and corrective action updates.
  • Support the development and maintenance of business continuity and disaster recovery plans at the site and process level.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proficiency with enterprise systems such as ERP (e.g., SAP, Oracle NetSuite), WMS, or TMS for daily transaction processing and master data maintenance.
  • Strong Excel skills: VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, pivot tables, data validation, basic macros, and the ability to manipulate large data sets for reconciliation and reporting.
  • Experience with order management processes including order entry, order fulfillment, RMA/returns processing, and billing reconciliation.
  • Inventory control techniques: cycle counting, ABC analysis, shrinkage prevention, lot and serial tracking, and FIFO/FEFO practices.
  • Familiarity with logistics and carrier management: rate comparison, tendering shipments, managing EDI or API connections, and handling claims.
  • Basic understanding of procurement and AP workflows: purchase order matching, three-way reconciliation, invoice verification, and vendor setup.
  • Experience using business intelligence and dashboarding tools (Power BI, Tableau, Looker) to create operational KPI dashboards and visual reports.
  • Knowledge of compliance and regulatory requirements relevant to the industry (OSHA, DOT, customs/imports, hazardous materials handling as applicable).
  • Ability to perform root cause analysis and use continuous improvement tools (Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma basics) to reduce defects and cycle time.
  • Familiarity with project management and ticketing tools (Jira, Asana, ServiceNow) to track issues and project tasks.

Soft Skills

  • Strong verbal and written communication skills for cross-functional coordination and clear escalation of operational issues.
  • Detail-oriented with a high degree of accuracy and a systems-thinking approach to prevent cascading errors.
  • Problem-solving mindset with the ability to analyze data, synthesize findings, and recommend actionable solutions.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to handle competing operational demands under tight deadlines.
  • Customer-focused attitude that balances operational constraints with the need to preserve customer satisfaction.
  • Collaborative team player who builds relationships across departments and with external partners.
  • Adaptability and resilience in dynamic environments, able to pivot priorities during peak periods or exceptions.
  • Integrity and accountability for maintaining confidential data and following company policies.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent.

Preferred Education:

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

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Supply Chain Management
  • Business Administration
  • Operations Management
  • Logistics and Transportation
  • Industrial or Systems Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–4 years of hands-on operations, logistics, or warehouse experience in a commercial environment.

Preferred:

  • 2–5 years experience in operations, logistics, inventory control, or related functions with demonstrated responsibility for end-to-end operational tasks.
  • Experience working with ERP/WMS systems and exposure to continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, 5S).
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