The Operations Manager role today
This guide draws on 2,233 Operations Manager postings from 1,328 companies, published from March to September 2026.
Hardly any Operations Manager postings make building or applying AI the job itself.
AI Tools Literacy appears in 89% of Operations Manager postings, and AI Assisted Reporting in 7%.
Automation exposure averages 51 out of 100 across these postings, which is moderate: parts of the routine work can be automated, which makes AI skills more valuable in the role.
Entry-level positions make up 40% of postings, senior 33%. The most common way of working is on-site, in 41% of postings.
Common skill gaps
The AI skills our analysis of Operations Manager job descriptions most often flags as a gap, with the share of postings where each one comes up.
- Prompt Engineering47%
- Generative AI Fundamentals38%
- AI Risk Awareness27%
- AI Ethics Awareness14%
- Predictive Analytics10%
- AI Change Management8%
Operations Manager salary
Pay comes only from postings that quote it: 250 of the 2,233 Operations Manager postings. Each country uses the pay period its employers quote most.
Netherlands
based on 206 postings quoting pay per month€5,100
median per month
The middle half of advertised salaries, with the line at the median.
Australia
based on 24 postings quoting pay per yearA$113,000
median per year
The middle half of advertised salaries, with the line at the median.
Essential Operations Manager skills
The skills employers ask for in Operations Manager job descriptions, from the most requested down.
Core skills
- Data Analysis
- AI Tools Literacy
Often requested
- Process Automation
Also valued
- Change Management
- Process Automation Awareness
- Predictive Maintenance Analytics
- AI Assisted Reporting
- AI Project Management
- AI Assisted Scheduling
- Prompt Engineering
AI skills to learn next
The AI skills employers most often want to add to this role, beyond the ones above.
- AI Scheduling Tools
How the Operations Manager role is evolving
The directions employers are taking this role as they adopt AI, with the skills and responsibilities each one adds.
Most common direction
Toward AI transformation
Typical focus
AI-enabled logistics and AI-enabled operations
Skills to add
- AI Tool Evaluation
- Data Driven Decision Making
New responsibilities
- Implement AI-driven demand forecasting to optimize stock levels and reduce waste
- Implement AI-driven predictive maintenance to reduce unplanned downtime by 20%
- Utilize AI-powered inventory management systems to optimize stock levels and reduce waste
- Identify and implement AI-driven process automation opportunities to reduce manual effort and improve accuracy
Other directions
Toward data & machine learning
Typical focus
Data & analytics and Data-driven logistics
Skills to add
- Machine Learning Basics
- Data Visualization
- SQL
- Dashboarding
New responsibilities
- Collaborate with data teams to integrate AI insights into daily operations
- Train team members on data literacy and AI tool usage
- Collaborate with data teams to integrate AI models into operational workflows
- Develop and maintain operational dashboards using AI-powered analytics tools
Toward AI customer experience
Typical focus
Customer experience & AI and AI-enhanced customer experience
Skills to add
- Sentiment Analysis
- Chatbot Management
- AI Customer Insights
- AI Chatbot Management
- AI Customer Analytics
- Customer Analytics
New responsibilities
- Deploy AI chatbots to handle routine customer inquiries and free up staff for complex issues
- Analyze customer feedback using AI to identify service improvement opportunities
- Analyze customer feedback using AI sentiment analysis to improve service quality
- Use AI to personalize customer interactions and improve satisfaction scores
Toward AI governance
Typical focus
AI governance & compliance and AI compliance & safety
Skills to add
- AI Governance Frameworks
- AI Ethics
- AI Compliance
- AI Risk Management
- AI Risk Assessment
- AI Regulatory Compliance
New responsibilities
- Collaborate with legal and compliance teams to align AI initiatives with regulatory requirements
- Conduct AI risk assessments and implement mitigation strategies
- Establish and maintain AI governance policies for operational AI tools
- Conduct AI risk assessments for new operational technologies
Operations Manager FAQ
Will AI replace Operations Manager jobs?
Automation exposure averages 51 out of 100 across these postings, which is moderate: parts of the routine work can be automated, which makes AI skills more valuable in the role. Employers are mostly reshaping the role toward AI transformation, adding skills such as AI Tools Literacy and Data Analysis.
What skills do Operations Manager roles require?
The skills employers ask for most are Data Analysis, AI Tools Literacy, Process Automation, Change Management and Process Automation Awareness.
Which AI skills should Operations Manager candidates learn next?
AI Tools Literacy, Data Analysis and Process Automation are the AI skills employers most often want to add. The most common skill gaps are Prompt Engineering and Generative AI Fundamentals.
How is the Operations Manager role changing?
The most common direction is AI transformation. Other directions include data & machine learning, AI customer experience and AI governance.
How much do Operations Manager roles pay in Australia?
Advertised salaries typically range from A$106,000 to A$136,000 per year, with the median around A$113,000, based on 24 postings that quote pay per year.
How much do Operations Manager roles pay in the Netherlands?
Advertised salaries typically range from €4,100 to €6,200 per month, with the median around €5,100, based on 206 postings that quote pay per month.
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This guide is built from public job descriptions for Operations Manager roles classified as Core AI or AI-enabled. Skills, automation exposure and career directions are extracted from each job description and compared across the market. Postings are deduplicated, so a job listed on several boards or by several agencies counts once. Salaries are advertised ranges from Australia and the Netherlands, taken only from the 250 postings that quote pay. How we collect and deduplicate postings.