What Is a Field Operations Manager and How to Become One

By ZipRecruiter Marketplace Research Team

A field operations manager oversees the field staff, or the employees who work outside of the office. Depending on the industry, field operations managers may work with employees who market, sell, and merchandise a company's products, or with field operators who drive and operate heavy machinery. As a field operations manager, your job duties include training employees, coordinating tasks, monitoring performance, setting operational goals, evaluating progress, managing budgets, and reporting to upper-level management. The qualifications for a career as a field operations manager include a bachelor’s degree and several years of experience in the industry in which you wish to work.

The primary qualifications for becoming a field operations manager are a bachelor's degree in a relevant field and some experience with field operations in your industry. The more experience you have, the better. Many employers prefer applicants with a master's degree in business administration. However, your bachelor's degree can focus on an area like logistics instead of business. Some field operations managers go back to school after getting industry experience, so you do not necessarily need to get an MBA right away. Fulfilling the responsibilities and duties of a field operations manager requires leadership skills, creativity, and the ability to adapt to changing situations.

Job Summary

We are seeking a Field Operations Manager to keep everything running smoothly outside of the office. In this role, you will be responsible for recruiting new field service staff, training them on their day-to-day tasks, and handling the finance management for field activities. You should be skilled at forecasting the labor needs of each project, as we must stay in compliance with all relevant labor regulations. Our ideal applicant has a bachelor's degree and several years of operations management experience.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Draft a budget for each project
• Recruit new employees for your field team
• Schedule field service representatives
• Oversee staff members on the job site
• Report progress back to management at the office

Requirements and Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in a relevant field
• Several years of business operations management experience
• Strong leadership and communication skills
• Performance management experience
• Proficiency with standard business software, such as Microsoft Outlook