Operations manager to facilities manager
An operations manager already meets 63% of what the facilities manager role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
48.2/ 100
1 How much of what a facilities manager is expected to do is already part of an operations manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the facilities manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A facilities manager role treats 24 of its required skills as things an operations manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- corporate social responsibility
- energy conservation
- ensure equipment availability
- ensure equipment maintenance
- establish daily priorities
- facilities management in the organisation
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 33 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A facilities manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an operations manager background worth leading with.
- already held manage facilities services management skills
- already held oversee the facilities services budget management skills
- already held promote facilities management services communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held facilities management in the organisation business, administration and law
- already held plan buildings maintenance work management skills
- already held supervise daily information operations management skills
All 33 carried skills, including the 24 the facilities manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn green building practices required
- still to learn electrical power safety regulations required
- still to learn environmental management standards required
- optional, not held building automation optional
- optional, not held energy market optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- still to learn manage space utilisation required
- still to learn plan facilities management policies required
- still to learn plan schedule required
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- still to learn inspect contracts for related grounds maintenance work required
- still to learn carry out energy management of facilities required
- optional, not held design building retrofitting solutions optional
- optional, not held liaise with security authorities optional
- optional, not held manage emergency evacuation plans optional
- still to learn ensure inspections of facilities required
- still to learn inspect building systems required
- optional, not held read standard blueprints optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with noise standards required
- optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
- optional, not held respond to burglar alarm systems optional
- still to learn fire safety regulations required
- optional, not held cleaning industry health and safety measures optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a facilities manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ensure inspections of facilities practise this
- 02 green building practices study this
- 03 inspect contracts for related grounds maintenance work practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 33 skills that carry over
- already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
- already held energy conservation knowledge
- already held ensure equipment availability skill
- already held ensure equipment maintenance skill
- already held establish daily priorities skill
- already held facilities management in the organisation knowledge
- already held follow company standards skill
- already held handle customer complaints skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held maintain relationship with customers skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage facilities services skill
- already held manage logistics skill
- already held manage maintenance operations skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held manage supplies skill
- already held oversee the facilities services budget skill
- already held perform risk analysis skill
- already held plan buildings maintenance work skill
- already held promote facilities management services skill
- already held strive for company growth skill
- already held supervise daily information operations skill
- already held supervise work skill
- already held accounting knowledge
- already held contract law knowledge
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held employment law knowledge
- already held evaluate employees skill
- already held manage major incidents skill
- already held perform procurement processes skill
- already held recruit employees skill
- already held supply chain management knowledge
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held design building retrofitting solutions optional
- optional, not held building automation optional
- optional, not held cleaning industry health and safety measures optional
- optional, not held energy market optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
- optional, not held liaise with security authorities optional
- optional, not held manage emergency evacuation plans optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- optional, not held read standard blueprints optional
- optional, not held respond to burglar alarm systems optional
58 held skills the facilities manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adhere to organisational guidelines skill
- not needed by the target role advise on efficiency improvements skill
- not needed by the target role advise on utility consumption skill
- not needed by the target role align efforts towards business development skill
- not needed by the target role apply change management skill
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role assess supplier risks skill
- not needed by the target role budget for financial needs skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role control financial resources skill
- not needed by the target role control of expenses skill
- not needed by the target role create a financial report skill
- not needed by the target role create project specifications skill
- not needed by the target role database quality standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop business case skill
- not needed by the target role develop revenue generation strategies skill
- not needed by the target role develop staff skill
- not needed by the target role estimate duration of work skill
- not needed by the target role estimate profitability skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate project plans skill
- not needed by the target role impart business plans to collaborators skill
- not needed by the target role implement corporate governance skill
- not needed by the target role information confidentiality knowledge
- not needed by the target role insourcing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role internal risk management policy knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with government officials skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role make data-driven decisions skill
- not needed by the target role make investment decisions skill
- not needed by the target role make strategic business decisions skill
- not needed by the target role manage profitability skill
- not needed by the target role manage project information skill
- not needed by the target role manage project metrics skill
- not needed by the target role manage several projects skill
- not needed by the target role manage standard enterprise resource planning system skill
- not needed by the target role manufacturing processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate terms with suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate with stakeholders skill
18 further entries not listed here
8 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn green building practices required
- still to learn electrical power safety regulations required
- still to learn environmental management standards required
- still to learn fire safety regulations required
- optional, not held building automation optional
- optional, not held cleaning industry health and safety measures optional
- optional, not held energy market optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
Other moves recorded from operations manager
- programme manager 81% covered · adjacent
- project manager 61% covered · moderate
- quality services manager 54% covered · moderate
- resource manager 47% covered · substantial
- security manager 47% covered · substantial
- manufacturing facility manager 45% covered · substantial
- water treatment plant manager 41% covered · substantial
- sewerage systems manager 41% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can an operations manager become a facilities manager?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An operations manager already covers 63% of what a facilities manager is expected to do: 33 skills carry over, 24 of which the facilities manager role treats as required.
What skills does an operations manager need to become a facilities manager?
12 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is ensure inspections of facilities.
How hard is the move from operations manager to facilities manager?
Its learning distance is 48.2 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.