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How To Hire A Remote Business Operations Manager

Struggling to manage daily outcomes? An operations manager can help. Here’s everything you need to know about hiring one for your business.
Picture this: it’s 8 a.m. on a Monday and you have places to be. But your growing team has questions, and updates are coming at you left and right — miss one and something major might fall through the cracks.

If only you had someone to make sure that the right things get done in the right way at the right time by the right people on a daily basis, then you’d be okay.

Sounds familiar? Looks like you need an operations manager (a.k.a. operations director). Here's everything you need to know about hiring one:

What do operations managers do?

Efficiency and effectiveness — these are an excellent operations manager’s bread and butter. Responsible for driving goals and initiatives, you can think of them as the mind and muscle behind successful day-to-day and long-term operations.

An operations manager’s job includes:

Prioritizing initiatives

Getting things done is important, but an operations manager takes that up a notch by ensuring that the most relevant and critical goals get taken care of.

While they don’t have to get their hands dirty on the field, an operations manager helps departments achieve their goals by:

An excellent operations manager understands which tasks have the most impact on both your business’ short-term and long-term goals.

Designing and implementing processes

An operations manager creates processes to ensure quality, efficiency, and effectiveness across your business.

When willpower fails, it’s the structures that’ll keep your business afloat. A great operations manager understands that if you’ve got solid systems and processes in place, your teams will be better equipped to handle challenges and produce great results.

Motivating and empowering teams

Keeping your teams engaged is challenging, especially when they’re distributed across the globe. An excellent operations manager motivates and empowers departments to take action, bringing out the best of them whether on-site or remotely.

They do this by:

  • Working closely with frontline team members
  • Understanding how teams work and what drives them
  • Creating policies that reward excellent work
  • Coordinating with departments to create engagement and retention programs
  • Providing support to team leaders

Overseeing budgets and finances

Everybody wishes they had an unlimited tap of resources, but that’s not always the case. An operations manager ensures that resources like time, talent, finances, connections, and equipment are used productively.

From streamlining processes to reviewing statements and approving budgets, great operations managers know how to maximize your resources while driving the best outcomes that keep the cash — and your business — moving.

Bridging the gap between strategy and execution

Since they have a direct line to executive departments, leadership teams, and frontline staff, operations managers get to see multiple sides of the business. They have a good understanding of the future but are also in tune with what’s happening on the field.

This unique position allows them to create realistic strategies based on facts and hands-on experience.

Who needs business operations managers?

Business operations managers are a vital part of a growing team. You’ll most likely benefit from hiring an operations manager if:

  • You have a growing team that needs alignment and guidance
  • You’re a business owner who doesn’t have the time to oversee day-to-day operations
  • You have trouble executing your strategic plans
  • You have unmotivated and unengaged team members
  • You struggle with developing, communicating, and implementing policies and procedures
  • Your teams and departments often get stuck in the middle of a project
  • Critical updates and high-priority initiatives often fall through the cracks

The benefits of hiring an operations manager

A remote business operations manager oversees team projects.

Hiring an operations manager doesn’t just benefit you — they’re an asset to your entire organization. Here’s what they can bring to the table:

They can help you leverage resources and reduce waste

Thanks to the daily direction offered by an operations manager, you’ll be able to leverage your available resources and create the best possible outcomes for your business. You’ll avoid wasting time, money, and energy and ultimately function more efficiently.

You can develop high-performing teams

A proactive operations manager aligns teams and creates clear goals. Pair this with training and leadership and you’ll have a high-performing team in your corner.

When your team has autonomy, mastery, and purpose, they’ll feel more empowered to contribute and drive results every single day.

You can manage risks better

With solid systems in place, you’re better equipped to face challenges and manage risks. An operations manager helps your business to be more resilient in the face of change.

Your team can produce high-quality work

A good operations manager understands that productivity doesn’t necessarily mean doing everything all at once — it’s about getting a few critical things right from start to finish.

Hiring an operations manager with a good understanding of systems and processes ensures that the right things are done correctly. The result? Your teams can focus on tasks that move the needle — producing better quality of work, enhanced services, and more valuable products for clients to enjoy and teams to take pride in.

They provide a clear direction

An operations manager can give you the context you need to create a sound and achievable strategy. Now, you’re more likely to get buy-in and dedicated action not only from leadership teams but also from your frontline staff and customers.

You’ll stay ahead of the competition

What happens when you have leveraged resources, less waste, and a highly-skilled team doing incredible work every single day? You get happier customers who trust your service and would be happy to come back for more.

Hiring an operations manager saves you from the pain of misused resources, unmet needs and expectations, poor execution, and unpleasant customer experiences — helping you stand out from the rest of the competition.

You can take back your time

Hiring an operations manager ultimately means having someone to stay on top of day-to-day tasks and long-term goals. Instead of running around and trying to get your daily operations in order, you can now focus on growing your business. Bonus: you can even take a couple weeks off without worrying about daily operations.

What to look for in an excellent business operations manager

A remote operations manager works on a laptop

As a leadership role, the ideal operations manager should have a background in leading teams and implementing change management across the organization. They should also be:

  • Problem solvers and critical thinkers – Since they’ve got a birds-eye-view of your operations, a good operations manager should be able to find solutions to various challenges. They know how to leverage opportunities and craft strategies that can positively impact your business.
  • Effective communicators – You’ll need an operations manager who knows how to listen and can articulate their sentiments. This will be a critical skill as they implement procedures and coordinate with multiple stakeholders.
  • Results-driven – Whether it’s a daily task or a long-term goal, a business operations manager is driven by meaningful results. They should know how to identify key performance indicators (KPIs), set realistic goals, create accurate forecasts, and measure outcomes.
  • Decision makers – Great operations managers know how to prioritize goals, find the right talent, develop processes, and delegate tasks. Look for someone who makes sound decisions according to your business’ best interests.
  • Passionate about continuous improvement – The ideal ops manager values continuous growth and improvement for themselves, their teams, and the business. They should proactively find ways to make your business better.
  • Great at time management – Aside from being skilled in operations, financial and organizational management, and human resources, you’ll need someone who has the capacity to manage their time well. They should be able to keep tabs on multiple projects at a given time.
  • Proficient in tools - The ideal candidate should know how to use tools like Google Suite and Zoom. They should also be familiar with apps for financial, operations, and project management.

Hiring an operations manager using Shepherd

Excited to get things off your plate by hiring an operations manager? Shepherd can help you find the best candidates for the job.

We’re a headhunter agency that specializes in finding operations managers for businesses at a fraction of the local cost. Here’s how you can hire an excellent operations manager using our service:

What to expect when you work with Shepherd

Step 1: Let us know about the position you're hiring for

Fill out this form to let us know about the candidate you’re looking for. We’ll be asking for a job description, so feel free to use the skills and qualities we’ve mentioned above as reference.‍

Step 2: We’ll kick off a search

We’ll hop on a call to discuss details, and then introduce you to a project manager who will be your point of contact throughout the process.

Our team of talent assessors and scouts will then kick off a search for the best operations manager candidates. Each candidate will go through a rigorous screening process before being presented to you for interviews.

Step 3: Choose from a list of vetted candidates

We’ll send a shortlist of highly vetted candidates to you. You can then hop on an interview to see if they’re a great fit.

Step 4: Hire the best operations manager and start taking back your time

Once you find the best operations manager candidates, you can go ahead and hire them. We’ll hand off the relationship over to you and you can start integrating them into your team. It’s that easy.

How much should you pay an operations manager?

Depending on the scope of their role, hiring a full-time operations manager from the Philippines can cost around $1,500-$2,000 per month.

In addition to quality output, excellent work ethic, and being a great culture fit — outsourcing from the Philippines also helps you save up to 80%.  

Learn more about remote staff salaries in this guide.

Ready to hire an operations manager?

An operations manager wears a lot of hats, but ultimately, their main role is to help you run your business as smoothly and efficiently as possible. They’re the person to call when you’re overwhelmed with high-level tasks and growing pains.

Ready to hire one? Tell us all about your ideal operations manager today and we’ll find the best one for you.

FAQS about hiring a remote operations manager

How do I hire an operations manager?

Before hiring an operations manager, you need to have a good understanding of the challenges you’re currently facing without one. This way, you can find a candidate with the experience and expertise that matches your goals.

Then, reach out to our team and we’ll find the best fit for you in 4 easy-to-follow steps.

What does an operational manager do?

In a nutshell, an operations manager is responsible for keeping day-to-day operations effective and efficient. Through their understanding of leadership, communication, operations, and change management principles, a great operations manager helps teams and businesses:

  • Prioritize initiatives
  • Design and implement processes
  • Motivate and empower teams
  • Oversee budgeting and finances
  • Bridge the gap between strategy and execution
What are the three most important roles of an operations manager?

While operations can cover a wide scope, your teams and your business are in good hands if your operations manager can ace these key roles:

  • Leveraging resources and reducing waste
  • Developing high-performing teams
  • Helping teams produce high-quality work

Get the hiring guide here

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Get the salary guide here

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