How To Become A Global Operations Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a global operations manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Eric Olsen

As a Global Operations Manager, you are a leader in charge of your organization's process and operations worldwide. You will direct a portfolio of projects and smaller business units and the organization's business strategies. As a Global Operations Manager, you will need to coordinate with sales staff in different geographical areas. You will also need to implement strategies through an online website. You will prepare all global processes and policies and make recommendations to improve and change processes.

As a Global Operations Manager, you will prepare and analyze processes and prepare reports. You will also ensure compliance with all account principles in global accounts, ensure customer services are good, and provide efficient training to staff. A Global Operations Manager is a top-level executive and has a great deal of experience in global settings. To qualify for this role, you will need a bachelor's degree in a business field, but a master's degree is preferred. You will need eight years of practical working experience. Your median salary per year is $101,000.

What general advice would you give to a Global Operations Manager?

Eric Olsen

Professor, Industrial Technology and Packaging, Orfalea College of Business

Times of change are also times of great opportunities. We are going to need new technical solutions to address problems we are just learning about. You have to lean into the issues. Don't be a technologist - be a problem solver. That is why we also emphasize soft skills like lean six sigma, teamwork, and change management.

ScoreGlobal Operations ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $105,172

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.6

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 6.44%

Black or African American 6.26%

Hispanic or Latino 15.47%

Unknown 4.35%

White 67.01%

Gender

female 30.43%

male 69.57%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress Level

9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.2

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.6

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a global operations manager

Explore global operations manager education requirements

Most common global operations manager degrees

Bachelor's

68.1 %

Master's

19.1 %

Associate

8.1 %

Start to develop specific global operations manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Project Management	12.36%
Global Operations	6.58%
Infrastructure	6.19%
Process Improvement	6.06%
Logistics	4.32%

Complete relevant global operations manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New global operations managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a global operations manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real global operations manager resumes.

Research global operations manager duties and responsibilities

Manage payroll distribution process ensuring timeliness, accuracy, and confidentiality to protect client's privacy and prevent liability of exposure.
Design renewal sales and operations KPIs while overhauling SLA program to provide real time qualitative measurement of rep activities.
Maintain capital expense budget and provide ROI analysis / capacity planning.
Provide expertise in automate logistics management systems pertaining to supply, maintenance, and transportation.

Apply for global operations manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a global operations manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do global operations managers rate their job?

-/5

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Global Operations Manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Cons

Operations never stops, its always up and running and you have to be available at any time

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019

Pros

I love being able to mold my team and the distribution center to the culture of respect and accountability! Having senior and executive leadership support is a huge positive factor in making this happen!!