Operations Manager Resume Sample & Writing Guide for 2025

 

Most operations management resumes slide off the hiring team’s eyes. You need to go beyond merely “impressive.” To get noticed, show specific operation resume successes in the right format.

This guide will show you:

• An operations manager resume example better than most.
• How to write an operations manager resume that gets more interviews.
• The key to a perfect operations manager job description on a resume.
• Why your choice of operations manager skills can reengineer your job search.

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Want to see more specific resume examples? Switch over to one of our dedicated guides:

• Business Administration Resume
• Business Manager Resume
• COO Resume
• Executive Resume
• Hotel Manager Resume
• Logistics Resume
• Production Manager Resume
• Product Manager Resume
• Program Manager Resume
• Project Manager Resume
• Real Estate/Property Manager Resume
• Sales Manager Resume
• Amazon Resume

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Resume Samples.

Operations Manager Resume Template

An operations manager handles overseeing and managing the day-to-day operations of a business or organization. Their primary role is to ensure that the company's operational activities are efficient, effective, and in line with the goals and objectives of the company.

Now here’s how to write an operations manager resume:

1. Choose the Best Operations Manager Resume Format

Your operations manager resume format must show competence at a glance.

• Start with the reverse-chronological resume format. It puts your best assets up front.
• Use the best resume fonts like Cambria or Arial, in 10–14pt. Rely on big headings, lots of white space, and 1-inch margins.
• Start with a resume header. Include your name, phone, email, and social media links. No photo or street address.
• Add an operations manager profile summary, then work experience, then education.
• Include extras like publications, conferences, and volunteer work to show you thrive in the production world.
• Write a one-page resume unless you’re Meg Whitman or Dieter Zetsche.

Switching from another line of work? Consider the combination operations management resume format. It pulls in your best related wins from non-operations manager jobs.

Expert Tip: Save your resume as a PDF unless the job ad lays them off. Operations manager resume PDFs won’t turn to muda in transit. In 2024, they’re also machine-readable.

2. Write a Lean Operations Manager Resume Summary

Most employers don’t read resumes for operations manager jobs. They skim, then come back and read the few they like. Stop skimmers with a profile summary done right. Stuff it with impressive feats to stand out like Jose Boisjoli or Blake Moret.

Use:

1. One adjective (focused, engaging, supportive)
2. Job title (Operations Manager)
3. Years of experience (5+, 10+)
4. How you’ll help (drive productivity)
5. Flashiest 2–3 achievements (turned $9 million loss to $2M profit)

These senior operations manager resume examples show how:

Retail Operations Manager Resume—Summary

Driven operations manager with 8+ years of experience. Seeking to drive quality, cost, and time for Renelly Sports. Used implementation of Kaizen to transform a $9 million annual loss to $2 million in profits at Elihu Outdoors. Slashed rework 75%, cut maint. costs 45%. Slashed inventory 30%.

Operations manager with high-level skills in financial management, lean thinking, and supply-chain management. Deep experience working with cross-functional teams at two high-volume manufacturing operations to improve metrics and drive productivity.

The first of those retail operations manager resume samples brims with assets. It’ll grab the hiring team and shake them.

What about a resume objective? Those are for applicants with no experience. Don’t write one in a resume for operations manager jobs.

Expert Tip: Don’t make your operations manager resume summary first. Do it last so you’ll have a supermarket of impressive bullet points to pull from.

3. How to Write an Operations Manager Resume Job Description

How to show skills in an operations manager job resume? First, list them. Then prove them. Here’s how to do it right.

1. Read the job ad and talk to employees.
2. Build a list of operations manager skills they’re dying for (read resume keywords to learn more).
3. Go through your past to find accomplishments that prove you’ve got those things.
4. Put those accomplishments in your resume bullets, with metrics.

Operations Manager Skills on a Resume—Example

These manufacturing operations manager resume examples show the standard work:

Job ad wants these operations manager skills: (1) Kanban (2) training (3) Total Productive Maintenance.

Experience

Operations Manager
Elihu Outdoors, Inc.

2010–2018

• Improved productivity 20% as operations manager in large sporting goods firm.
• Implemented plant-wide (1) kanban that slashed inventory 30% in 7 months.
• Initiated Kaizen (2) training across all employees, turning a $9 million annual loss to $2 million in profits in 18 months. Achieved 85% buy-in for lean program.
• Drove mistake-proofing program that cut rework by 75%.
• Through (3) Total Productive Maintenance, cut maintenance costs 45%.

• Responsible for operations manager duties and responsibilities in large sporting goods firm.
• Handled top-level scheduling and strategy design.
• Managed team of top-level managers to drive company metrics and meet annual corporate goals.

The second of those plant manager resume examples is scrap. The first? Jack Welch-level.

Operations Manager Resume Skills

Oh, by the way: Don’t copy operations manager resume skills from online lists. To hiring teams, that’s obvious counterfeiting. Just for reference:

Operations Manager Resume Skills

Soft Skills	Hard Skills
Leadership	Budgeting
Interpersonal Skills	Performance Tracking
Communication	Lean Thinking
Problem Solving	Financial Management
Listening	Delegation
Critical Thinking	Enterprise Resource Planning
Collaboration	Supply Chain Management
Psychology	Product Lifecycle Management
Decision Making	Customer Relationship Management
Detail Oriented	Strategy Development

Expert Tip: Gunning for an Amazon operations manager job? Check out this TED Talk for key insights into what to highlight in your resume.

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4. Turn Boring Education Into a Reason to Hire You

You need to show education on a resume. But did you know it can convince them to interview you? These manager of operations resume examples show the value stream:

Education on a Business Operations Manager Resume—Sample

B.S. in Business Administration, UMass Amherst
1996–2000

• Pursued a passion for operations management study.
• Recipient, Isenberg Business Leadership Award.
• Captain, Lacrosse team, two years.

That operations manager resume sample will make the hiring team take notice. It shows you groomed for this since school. Where’s the GPA? If it’s not impressive, scrap it.

Expert Tip: Should you list GPA on an IT, logistics or warehouse operations manager job resume? Not unless it’s sky-high. If not, save the space for more impressive stats.

5. Add Value to Your Operations Manager Resume With Additional Sections

Your resume for operations manager jobs must prove you’re more than good. To build engagement, add resume additional sections like these operations manager resume examples:

Additional Sections on a Resume for Operations Management—Example

Volunteer Work

• Board President, Summers County Homeless Shelter. Grew donations 60%.
• Volunteer manager, Habitat for Humanity.

Additional Activities

• Active member, Association for Operations Management (APICS).
• Lead weekly hiking club. Raised membership 65%.

Publications

• White paper on Six Sigma cited in Forbes Magazine.
• Article on financial management in "Operations Room" blog.

Conferences

• 2017 Keynote Speaker, Northeast Shingo Prize Conference
• 2015 Guest Speaker, Supply Chain Summit

Volunteer Work

• Volunteer at local homeless shelter.
• Member, APICS.
• Hike often for fun and fitness.
• Attend regular operations conferences.

Can you see the difference? Those first senior operations management resume samples make it work.

What about certifications on a resume?

On operation resumes, put them below your summary. The operations manager resume template up top shows how.

Expert Tip: Send an operations manager cover letter. Learn how to write a cover letter that will be your elevator pitch. It can get the board to read your VP of operations resume or supply chain manager resume.

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.

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Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Key Points

For an operations manager resume that makes the phone ring:

• Start with the operations manager resume template up top. It brings the best practices to life.
• List achievements in your operations management resume bullet points. Match them to the job opening like tooling to a fixture.
• Cut the waste. Even the education section in a resume for operations manager jobs should show success.
• Use operation resume keywords. Find them in the job ad, and by talking to key people in the hiring chain.

Got questions on how to write a great resume for operations manager jobs? Not sure how to show operations manager on a resume? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply.

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