| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Operations |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | Managing Director |
| Direct reports | General Manager Operations, Business Excellence Manager, Program Manager |
| Experience | 18+ years in operations, with at least 6 years leading multi-site or multi-function operations |
Director Operations job description template
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Job title: Director Operations
Department: Operations
Reports to: Managing Director
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Director Operations leads all operations of a company's India business or a large division and sits in the leadership team that sets the multi-year plan. In MNC subsidiaries the role often has a dotted line to a regional operations head, and in Indian groups it can be a board-level position. The director decides the operating network, capital spending on capacity, sourcing of services and the shape of the operations organization, and is judged on cost, service and risk across the whole business.
Key responsibilities
- Set the three to five year operations strategy with the managing director, covering capacity, locations, make or buy choices and service standards.
- Approve the annual operations budget and capital expenditure plan, and defend both in leadership and board meetings.
- Decide which plants, warehouses, branches or service centres to open, expand, merge or close, based on a written business case.
- Design the operations organization, including spans of control and grades, and appoint general managers and function heads.
- Sign off major outsourcing and vendor contracts, and review the performance of strategic vendors twice a year.
- Sponsor business excellence and digital programs that change how operations work, and hold program managers to benefit targets.
- Report operations performance, risks and incidents to the board or global leadership every quarter.
- Lead the response to major disruptions such as fire, flood, strikes or system outages through a tested business continuity plan.
- Integrate acquired units or new sites into common processes, systems and controls within an agreed timeline.
- Build succession for every general manager and function head in operations, and mentor high-potential managers personally.
Requirements
- Graduate in engineering or commerce
- MBA or PGDM from a recognised institute, commonly in operations or strategy
- Executive programs in general management or supply chain are an advantage
- 18+ years in operations, with at least 6 years leading multi-site or multi-function operations
KRAs and KPIs for a Director Operations
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Operating cost | Operations cost as a share of revenue at or below the approved plan for the year |
| Capital projects | Approved capacity and network projects delivered within 10 percent of budget and schedule |
| Customer service level | Company-wide on-time delivery or service level at 97 percent or above |
| Business continuity | Every critical site has a continuity plan tested at least once a year |
| Leadership succession | At least one ready successor for each general manager role |
| Risk and compliance | No major regulatory, safety or audit finding attributed to operations during the year |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: ERP dashboards such as SAP or Oracle, Board packs in Power BI or Tableau, Capital appraisal models in Excel, Business continuity plans, Enterprise risk register.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Chief Operating Officer, Managing Director
Interview questions for a Director Operations
- How would you decide whether to build a new plant, expand an existing one or outsource the extra volume?
- Tell me about an operations restructuring you led. How did you handle managers who lost roles or reporting lines?
- Which operations numbers would you put in front of the board every quarter, and why those?
- A strategic vendor fails during your peak season. Walk me through your response over the next 72 hours.
- How do you integrate an acquired company's operations without losing its best people?
- Which of your capital projects did not deliver its business case, and what did you learn from it?
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What does a Director Operations do?
A Director Operations leads all operations for a company or a major division. They set the multi-year operations strategy, approve budgets and capital spending, decide where sites and service centres should be, choose outsourcing partners and build the leadership team under them. They report to the managing director or CEO and often present to the board.
What is the difference between a Director Operations and a COO?
A COO usually runs operations plus other functions such as supply chain, customer service or technology, and is part of the top executive team. A Director Operations typically leads operations for a country business or a large division and reports to the MD, CEO or COO. In smaller companies one person may hold both titles.
Who reports to a Director Operations?
General managers or heads of operations for each business unit or region usually report to the director, along with central teams such as business excellence and the program office. In a large company the director may lead several thousand people indirectly through five to eight senior leaders.