Heads of operations · the role
What does a head of operations do?
The short answer · updated
A head of operations runs the day-to-day operations of a business or division: the processes, teams, systems and suppliers that deliver its product or service. They set operational targets, manage the operations budget, fix what slows delivery down, and keep quality, safety and compliance under control. Most report to the COO, the managing director or the chief executive.
What is a head of operations?
A head of operations is the senior leader in charge of how a business delivers what it sells. In a service company that means service delivery and customer operations; in a product company, production, fulfilment and the supply chain; in a start-up, often everything that is not product, sales or finance.
The role sits between strategy and the front line. Skills England’s operations manager standard describes operations leaders as setting and monitoring objectives aligned with the organisation’s strategic goals, and working with HR, finance, legal, IT, sales and marketing, customers and suppliers. A head of operations does that across the whole operating function, usually with operations managers reporting in.
Head of operations roles and responsibilities
The remit differs between companies, because it depends on the business model and on what the COO or managing director keeps. The common core is below.
- Running operations. Leading the teams that deliver the product or service, day to day and week to week.
- Process and systems. Designing how work gets done, choosing the systems that support it, and removing waste.
- Planning and targets. Turning the business plan into an operating plan, budgets and performance measures, and reporting on them.
- People. Hiring, developing and organising the operations team and its managers.
- Suppliers. Managing suppliers, outsourcing partners and operational contracts.
- Quality. Setting standards, measuring them, and fixing root causes when they slip.
- Health, safety and compliance. Keeping the operation safe and within the rules that apply to it.
- Change. Leading system roll-outs, new sites, restructures and other operational projects.
Head of operations job description
Use the template below as a starting point and cut what does not apply. Acas’s job description templates set out the headings every job description needs: the main duties, and who the role reports to.
Job title: Head of operations. Reports to: the COO, managing director or chief executive. Direct reports: operations managers and team leads. Purpose: to run the company’s operations so that it delivers its product or service to the agreed standard, on time and within budget.
- Responsibility: lead the operations function and its managers, day to day.
- Responsibility: build and deliver the annual operating plan and budget, and report performance against it.
- Responsibility: design, document and improve operational processes and the systems behind them.
- Responsibility: manage suppliers and outsourcing partners against agreed service levels.
- Responsibility: set and monitor quality standards, and run root-cause fixes when they are missed.
- Responsibility: keep health and safety, data and regulatory compliance under control in the operating areas.
- Responsibility: lead operational change projects, from system roll-outs to new sites.
- Requirement: a track record running an operation of comparable scale and complexity.
- Requirement: experience managing managers, budgets and suppliers.
- Requirement: evidence of process improvement with measurable results.
- Requirement: a working knowledge of the health and safety, quality and regulatory rules in your sector.
Head of operations vs operations director vs COO
A head of operations leads the operating function and its managers. It is often the most senior operations role in a smaller company, and one level below an operations director in a larger one.
An operations director usually has the same remit at greater scale, often with a seat in the senior team or on the board of a subsidiary. See our interim operations director page.
A COO has the widest remit: operations across the whole business, usually as the chief executive’s partner in running the company, and sometimes with a board seat. Our page on what a COO does sets out the role, and the COO job description the template.
Titles vary between companies, so compare the remit, the reporting line and the budget, not the name.
Safety, quality and supply chains
Much of what a board is accountable for runs through operations. The HSE’s Leading health and safety at work sets out the leadership actions expected of directors and board members, built on Plan, Do, Check, Act; the head of operations usually puts them into practice on the ground.
Supply chains carry legal duties. Under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, certain organisations must publish a modern slavery statement each year on the steps they take to keep modern slavery out of their business and supply chains; the government’s practical guide explains what it should cover. The supplier checks behind it often sit with operations.
Structure is shared work. The CIPD describes organisation design as aligning the shape and structure of an organisation with its strategy, across systems, structures and processes. In a growing company the head of operations and the people lead usually do it together.
Fractional, interim and permanent heads of operations
A permanent head of operations is employed full-time with no fixed end date, and suits a company whose operation needs senior leadership every day.
An interim head of operations works full-time for a fixed period: a turnaround, a system roll-out, a new site, or cover while the permanent search runs. A fractional head of operations works part of the week, and suits a growing company that has outgrown informal operations. See how to hire a fractional operations lead, or, for a more senior remit, a fractional COO.
A fractional or interim head of operations working through their own company may fall within the off-payroll working rules (IR35). Status turns on how the engagement runs in practice, and a medium or large client makes the determination. Our IR35 guide sets out the tests.
Pay depends on the size and complexity of the operation and the sector. We do not publish a pay band here; we set out pay or day rate for every candidate on the shortlist.
How to hire a head of operations
Start with the job description above. Write down which functions the role will own, which decisions it can make alone, and what the first year must deliver. Agree it with whoever the role reports to before the search.
Then choose the form: permanent, interim, part-time or fractional. Test every candidate on your own operating problem, and take references from people who worked for them. CMI Chartered Manager status and Chartered Quality Institute membership show professional standing, though neither is a requirement.
We recruit fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent executives, and non-executive directors. For an operations brief we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after our five-stage vetting. To hire a head of operations for a fixed period, see our interim operations director page; for part of the week, our fractional operations lead page.
Questions people ask
What is a head of operations?
The senior leader in charge of how a business delivers its product or service: the processes, teams, systems and suppliers behind it. The role usually reports to the COO, the managing director or the chief executive.
What are the main roles and responsibilities of an operations head?
Running day-to-day operations, designing processes and systems, building the operating plan and budget, managing suppliers, keeping quality, safety and compliance under control, and leading operational change.
What should a job description for a head of operations include?
The title, the reporting line, the direct reports, the purpose of the role, the main responsibilities and the requirements. The template on this page covers each; Acas’s templates set out the standard headings.
What is the difference between a head of operations and a COO?
Scope and seniority. A head of operations leads the operating function; a COO runs operations across the whole business and usually partners the chief executive. See what a COO does.
Can a head of operations work part-time?
Yes. A fractional head of operations works part of the week, usually for a growing company. See how to hire a fractional operations lead.
How much does it cost to hire a head of operations?
It depends on whether the role is permanent, interim or fractional, and on the size of the operation. We set out pay or day rate for every candidate on the shortlist, so you can compare like for like.
How do I hire a head of operations?
Write the job description, agree the remit with the role’s manager, choose between permanent, interim, part-time and fractional, and test every candidate on your own operating problem. We send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
