Field Operations Manager Definition

For a company that uses field teams marketing, selling, and merchandise their products, hiring a field manager or a field operations manager is one smart move. He/she is responsible for organizing and overseeing the day-to-day activities to ensure that everything is running smoothly. But there is more to the job than just that. And to understand, you need to know what operations management is all about or what it entails.

Operations management definition: the branch of business management involved with the planning, directing, organizing, and controlling processes in the production and delivery of goods and services. The goal is to ensure the smooth running of operations within a business organization to maximize efficiency.

Therefore, a field operations manager is responsible for overseeing the successful execution and improvement of all the company sales, field marketing, and merchandising projects. And this may include:

  • The hiring of field reps
  • Training them
  • Analyzing and assessing their performance
  • Planning and management of logistics
  • A field manager ensures that the company’s field team has all the resources, skills, and support necessary to succeed in its execution strategy.
    Things to know about Field Operations Manager

Field Operations Manager Job Description

Below is the field’s operations manager job description:

The role of an operations manager is, in general, to add value to the business organization by ensuring the successful execution of all field operations to maximize efficiency. He/she is responsible for quality management and productivity by continually analyzing, assessing, and improving processes while supporting the overall business mission. Ultimately, the work of a field operations manager is making all company efforts count and increase profitability.

It is also part of the operations manager job description to:

  • Report to the head operations manager, branch manager, or regional manager
  • Lead and motivate the field team to work towards achieving the company goals and objectives to support the overall mission
  • Communicate best practices to all the company’s field team members to build better customer relationship
  • Forecast the labour requirements of every project to ensure that the company is compliant with all the labour laws and regulations relevant to them
  • Design and redesign processes and procedures to ensure the successful execution of strategies
  • Design, redesign and ensure successful execution of strategies.

Job Responsibilities

The operations manager roles and responsibilities can vary from one organization to another, depending on their field specialization. But the difference is not all that significant.

Below is a list of some operations management responsibilities in general

  • Recruit and train field reps
  • Schedule relevant training programs for field employees
  • Negotiate employees’ salaries, transfers, promotions, and other related procedures in the HR
  • Work hand in hand with the finance department to determine payments, allowances, salary hike, and so on
  • Create policies to maximize sales
  • Write the budget for every project
  • Manage field operations to ensure that the expenses are within the set budget
  • Evaluate and approve orders concerned with the purchase of all office equipment and supplies to minimize expenses
  • Allocate duties and responsibilities to employees on the field
  • Monitor all field operations to identify and resolve issues and ensure operational efficiency
  • Analyse, measure, and report performance progress to the overall management
  • Direct and control employee activities to ensure maximum utilization of company resources.

These are just some of the most common operations manager roles and responsibilities; otherwise, there’s so much more they can do.

To sum it up, you can say that a field operations manager is responsible for all the field activities within a set branch office or offices to achieve business growth.

Field Ops Manager Education Level, Skills and Experience

A field operations manager must have at least a diploma or a Bachelor’s degree in business or a related field and from a recognized institution. Depending on the company, a post-graduate degree or MBA may be an added advantage. The candidate should also have a few years of experience in the field to qualify.

The Skills

Below are some essential field manager skills that most companies look for when hiring

  • Leadership skills
  • Motivational skills
  • Project management skills
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Should be a good negotiator
  • Should be organized
  • Should be excellent planners
  • Should have excellent presentation skills
  • Should be a perfect time manager
  • Should be a team player,
  • Should be a good communicator
  • Should be a problem solver
  • Should be computer-literate
  • Should have the stamina and the drive to lead the field team to success

Conclusion

Field operations managers have an integral role in the success of modern businesses. The field managers ensure operational efficiency to maximize sales, profits, and the general productivity of a business.

Now you can understand why hiring a field operations manager for your business is so important.