Navigating the complexities of supply chain management is a significant CV challenge for operations managers. Our guide offers strategic insights and practical tools to enhance your efficiency and resilience in managing these intricate systems.
Structure, write, and edit your operations manager CV to land the role of your dreams with our exclusive guide on how to:
- Create an attention-grabbing header that integrates keywords and includes all vital information;
- Add strong action verbs and skills in your experience section, and get inspired by real-world professionals;
- List your education and relevant certification to fill in the gaps in your career history;
- Integrate both hard and soft skills all through your CV.
Discover more industry-specific guides to help you apply for any role in the links below:
Formatting your operations manager CV to meet the role expectations
Staring at the blank page for hours on end, you still have no idea how you should start your professional operations manager CV. Should you include more colours, two columns, and which sections? What you should remember about your CV format is this - ensure it's minimalistic and doesn't go over the top with fancy fonts and many colours. Instead, focus on writing consistent content that actually answers the job requirements. But, how about the design itself :- Use the reverse chronological order to showcase your experience, starting with your most recent role;
- Include your contact details (email address, phone number, and location) - and potentially your professional photo - in the header;
- Must-have CV sections include summary or objective, experience, education, and skills: curate the ones that fit your profile;
- Your professional operations manager CV should be between one-to-two pages long: select the longer format if you have more experience.
A little bit more about your actual CV design, ensure you're using:
- plenty of serif or sans serif font (e.g. Montserrat, Exo 2, Volkhov) as they are Applicant Tracker System (ATS) compliant. Avoid the likes of Arial and Times New Roman because most candidates' CVs are in this typography.
When submitting your CV, are you still not sure what format it should be? Despite the myth that has been circling around, most modern ATS systems are perfectly capable of reading PDFs. This format is an excellent choice as it keeps all of your information intact.
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Incorporate a touch of colour in headers or section breaks, but keep it professional and ensure it doesn’t detract from readability, especially in more conservative industries.
The top sections on a operations manager CV
- Professional Summary to highlight leadership skills.
- Core Competencies for showcasing operations expertise.
- Professional Experience to detail management history.
- Key Achievements to illustrate operational successes.
- Education & Certifications for relevant qualifications.
What recruiters value on your CV:
- Highlight your expertise in process improvements and operational efficiency, showcasing specific projects where you've successfully optimised workflows or reduced costs.
- Emphasise your leadership and team management skills, detailing instances where you've led cross-functional teams and fostered a collaborative work environment.
- Include metrics to quantify your achievements, such as percentage increases in productivity, cost reductions achieved, or improvements in customer satisfaction scores.
- Demonstrate your familiarity with operations management tools and software, mentioning any specific platforms you're proficient in and how you've leveraged them to enhance operations.
- Detail your experience in supply chain management, inventory control, or procurement, if applicable, to show your comprehensive understanding of the operations ecosystem.
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Our checklist for the must-have information in your operations manager CV header
Right at the very top of your operations manager CV is where you'd find the header section or the space for your contact details, headline, and professional photo. Wondering how to present your the name of the city you live in and the country abbreviation as your address;
- are tailored to the role you're applying for by integrating key job skills and requirements;
- showcase what your unique value is, most often in the form of your most noteworthy accomplishment;
- select your relevant qualifications, skills, or current role to pass the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) assessment. Still not sure how to write your CV headline? Our examples below showcase best practices on creating effective headlines:
Examples of good CV headlines for operations manager:
- Operations Manager | Lean Six Sigma Green Belt | Supply Chain Optimisation | 10+ Years' Experience
- Senior Operations Leader | Manufacturing Excellence | Cost Reduction Specialist | MBA | 15 Years' Expertise
- Junior Operations Manager | E-commerce Fulfilment | Process Improvement | Prince2 Certified | 3 Years in Role
- Operations Director | Strategic Planning | P&L Management | 20+ Years of Leadership | CEng Qualified
- Head of Operations | Quality Assurance Champion | ISO Standards Expert | MSc in Management | 12 Years’ Tenure
- Operations Management Professional | Continuous Improvement Driven | Project Delivery | 8 Years' Progressive Experience | APICS-CPIM
Opting between a operations manager CV summary or objective
Within the top one third of your operations manager CV, you have the opportunity to briefly summarise your best achievements or present your professional goals and dreams. Those two functions are met by either the CV summary or the objective.
- The summary is three-to-five sentences long and should narrate your best successes, while answering key requirements for the role. Select up to three skills which you can feature in your summary. Always aim to present what the actual outcomes were of using your particular skill set. The summary is an excellent choice for more experienced professionals.
- The objective is more focused on showcasing your unique value as a candidate and defining your dreams and ambitions. Think about highlighting how this current opportunity would answer your career vision. Also, about how you could help your potential employers grow. The objective matches the needs of less experienced candidates, who need to prove their skill set and, in particular, their soft skills.
Still not sure about how to write your CV opening statement? Use some best industry examples as inspiration:
CV summaries for a operations manager job:
- Seasoned Operations Manager with over a decade of experience in streamlining production processes, overseeing an efficient workforce of 250, and reducing operational costs by 30%. Known for implementing cutting-edge workflow automation solutions in a leading automotive company to enhance output quality and consistency.
- Dynamic Operations Manager with 15 years at the forefront of the fast-paced telecom industry, specialising in managing cross-functional teams of 150+ members and delivering complex projects under tight deadlines. Successfully expanded the network infrastructure across 200 new locations, contributing to significant market share growth.
- Financial analyst with 5 years of experience in high-pressure investment firms, transitioning into operations management. Brings a strong analytical mindset, adept in data-driven decision-making and budget optimisation, aiming to leverage financial expertise to improve operational efficiencies in a manufacturing environment.
- Marketing executive transitioning into operations management after sharpening strategic planning skills over 7 years in a competitive agency setting. With robust project management abilities and proficiency in CRM systems, eager to drive operational excellence and support organisational growth in a logistics-focused enterprise.
- As a recent MBA graduate with a specialisation in Operations Management, keen to apply theoretical knowledge and fresh, forward-thinking approaches to optimise business processes and foster team collaboration. Objective: to embark on a challenging journey in operations management with a focus on deploying innovative strategies for sustainable improvement.
- Enthusiastic and driven individual with a recent degree in Business Administration, aiming to leverage academic insights and volunteer leadership experience to develop as an Operations Manager. Objective: to nurture a career by contributing to an organisation's operational success through meticulous planning and coordination.
Narrating the details of your operations manager CV experience section
Perhaps you've heard it time and time again, but, how you present your experience is what matters the most. Your CV experience section - that details your work history alongside your accomplishments - is the space to spotlight your unqiue expertise and talents. So, avoid solely listing your responsibilities, but instead:
- adverts' keywords and integrate those in your experience section;
- Use your CV to detail how you've been promoted in the past by including experience in the reverse chronological order.
Before you start writing your operations manager CV experience section, dive into some industry-leading examples on how to structure your bullets.
Best practices for your CV's work experience section
- Managed a team of 50+ employees, implementing strict performance metrics that increased overall productivity by 15% within the first year.
- Implemented a new inventory management system, reducing waste by 20% and saving the company £30,000 annually in operational costs.
- Developed and enforced robust health and safety protocols, decreasing workplace accidents by 40% and fostering a culture of safety awareness.
- Coordinated with multiple departments to streamline processes, leading to a 25% improvement in cross-departmental project completion time.
- Analysed operational workflows and introduced automation where possible, resulting in a 35% reduction in manual processing errors.
- Liaised with suppliers to negotiate better terms and pricing, saving the firm £50,000 yearly and enhancing supplier relationships.
- Championed a sustainability initiative that cut energy consumption by 10%, demonstrating the company's commitment to environmental responsibility.
- Regularly assessed team skills and conducted targeted training programs, raising efficiency and enabling internal promotions for 20% of the department staff.
- Delivered comprehensive monthly reports to senior management, highlighting operational achievements and areas for improvement with actionable plans.
Work Experience
Senior Operations Manager
British Petroleum
04/2018-Ongoing
- Spearheaded a strategic initiative to streamline supply chain processes, achieving a 15% reduction in vendor lead times and a 10% cost saving on logistics.
- Orchestrated the automation of inventory management using ERP software, enhancing stock accuracy by 25% and substantially reducing order fulfilment errors.
- Championed staff development programmes which improved team productivity by 22% and reduced turnover by 18%, fostering a more skilled and stable workforce.
Work Experience
Operations Management Executive
Tesco PLC
06/2016-12/2020
- Implemented a customer relationship management system that boosted customer retention rates by 35% through improved service delivery and proactive communication.
- Directed a cross-functional project team that successfully launched a new product line, resulting in a 20% increase in market share within the first year.
- Conducted thorough risk assessments for operational procedures, diminishing the incident rate by 40% through introducing robust health and safety protocols.
Work Experience
Operations Manager
GlaxoSmithKline
01/2013-05/2017
- Oversee daily production output of 100+ team members, increasing productivity by 30% whilst maintaining compliance with stringent quality standards.
- Renegotiated supplier contracts to secure more favourable terms, which reduced materials costs by £500,000 annually.
- Launched a sustainability programme which cut carbon emissions by 12%, supporting the company's commitment to environmental responsibility.
Work Experience
Head of Operations
Unilever
09/2014-11/2019
- Introduced data-driven decision-making processes that improved operational efficiency by 17% through the use of advanced analytics tools.
- Collaborated with international partners to expand market reach, augmenting global distribution channels and increasing international sales by 45%.
- Developed a talent acquisition strategy that attracted high-calibre candidates, reducing staffing gaps by 95% and fortifying the leadership pipeline.
Work Experience
Lead Operations Manager
Rolls-Royce Holdings
03/2012-10/2015
- Coordinated the relocation of a major production facility without interrupting operational output, ensuring seamless transition and zero downtime.
- Masterminded the reduction of waste by implementing lean manufacturing techniques, slashing waste output by 23%.
- Optimized transportation logistics to ensure on-time delivery of products, achieving a consistent 98% customer satisfaction rate.
Work Experience
Operations Directorate Manager
AstraZeneca
07/2009-02/2014
- Transformed organizational structure by introducing agile methodologies, enhancing communication and increasing speed-to-market by 20%.
- Managed a budget of over £2 million, delivering projects up to 10% under budget due to vigilant cost control practices.
- Pioneered a continuous improvement culture that encouraged employee innovation, leading to the patent of two new production processes.
Work Experience
Director of Operations
Diageo
11/2015-08/2021
- Executed a comprehensive digital transformation in back-office operations, integrating AI and machine learning to boost process efficiency by 40%.
- Led the development of a vendor management system that improved partner performance tracking, enhancing vendor reliability by 25%.
- Managed crisis response during supply chain disruptions, adapting strategies that minimised customer impact and maintained 90% of projected revenue.
Work Experience
Chief of Operations
BAE Systems
05/2011-03/2016
- Developed an operational excellence program which increased overall productivity by 35% through process optimisation and workforce engagement.
- Initiated a quality control overhaul that reduced product defects by 50% within six months, significantly boosting customer satisfaction.
- Directed the upgrade of the IT infrastructure to support scalable operations, leading to a 30% reduction in system downtime and enhanced data security.
What to add in your operations manager CV experience section with no professional experience
If you don't have the standard nine-to-five professional experience, yet are still keen on applying for the job, here's what you can do:
- List any internships, part-time roles, volunteer experience, or basically any work you've done that meets the job requirements and is in the same industry;
- Showcase any project you've done in your free time (even if you completed them with family and friends) that will hint at your experience and skill set;
- Replace the standard, CV experience section with a strengths or achievements one. This will help you spotlight your transferrable skills that apply to the role.
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Include examples of how you adapted to new tools, environments, or work cultures, showing your flexibility.
The CV skills' divide: between hard and soft skills
Of course, you may have read the job requirements plenty of times now, but it's key to note that there is a difference between technical and personal skills. Both are equally relevant to your job application. When writing about your skill set, ensure you've copy-pasted the precise skill from the job requirement. This would not only help you ensure you have the correct spelling, but also pass any Applicant Tracker System (ATS) assessments.
- Hard skills show your technological capabilities. Or whether you'll be a good technical fit to the organisation. Ensure you've spotlighted your hard skills in various sections of your CV (e.g. skills section, projects, experience) by including the technology and what you've attained;
- Soft skills pinpoint your personality and people or communication skills, hinting at if you'll easily accomodate into the team or organisation. Quantify your soft skills in your CV achievements, strengths, summary/objective, and experience sections. Always support your soft skills with how they've helped you grow as a professional.
Top skills for your operations manager CV:
HARD SKILLS
Supply Chain Management
Operations Strategy
Project Management
Budgeting and Finance
Business Process Improvement
Data Analysis
Risk Management
Logistics Management
ERP Systems
Inventory Management
SOFT SKILLS
Leadership
Communication
Problem-Solving
Strategic Thinking
Decision-Making
Change Management
Team Building
Negotiation
Adaptability
Time Management
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Order your skills based on the relevance to the role you're applying for, ensuring the most pertinent skills catch the employer's attention first.
Education and more professional qualifications to include in your operations manager CV
If you want to showcase to recruiters that you're further qualified for the role, ensure you've included your relevant university diplomas. Within your education section:
- Describe your degree with your university name(-s) and start-graduation dates;
- List any awards you've received, if you deem they would be impressive or are relevant to the industry;
- Include your projects and publications, if you need to further showcase how you've used your technical know-how;
- Avoid listing your A-level marks, as your potential employers care to learn more about your university background.
Apart from your higher education, ensure that you've curated your relevant certificates or courses by listing the:
- name of the certificate or course;
- name of the institution within which you received your training;
- the date(-s) when you obtained your accreditation.
In the next section, discover some of the most relevant certificates for your operations manager CV:
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Order your skills based on the relevance to the role you're applying for, ensuring the most pertinent skills catch the employer's attention first.
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Key takeaways
Here are five things you need to remember about writing your operations manager CV for success:
- Sort your experience based on the reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent career items, to showcase how you've grown your career;
- Include within your CV header your relevant contact details, a headline that could spotlight your unique value, and a photo - if you're applying for roles outside the UK or US;
- Decide to use the CV summary, if you happen to have more professional experience, and an objective, if you want to showcase your career goals;
- Within the experience section, write your bullets using action verbs, skills, and success, instead of just merely listing your on-the-job responsibilities;
- Prove your technical skills, using your education and certificates, and your soft skills, with your achievements and strengths sections.
