Operations manager to resource manager
An operations manager already meets 47% of what the resource manager role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
57.7/ 100
1 How much of what a resource 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 resource manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A resource manager role treats 13 of its required skills as things an operations manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assess financial viability
- assess supplier risks
- corporate social responsibility
- follow company standards
- liaise with managers
- maintain relationship with customers
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 18 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A resource 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 estimate profitability information skills
- already held control financial resources management skills
- already held estimate duration of work information skills
- already held perform resource planning information skills
- already held strive for company growth management skills
- already held assess supplier risks information skills
All 18 carried skills, including the 13 the resource manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 4 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 analyse supply chain trends required
- still to learn analyse business plans required
- still to learn analyse logistic changes required
- still to learn analyse supply chain strategies required
- still to learn estimate costs of required supplies required
- optional, not held accurately estimate work hours optional
- optional, not held advise on risk management optional
- optional, not held apply for government funding optional
- optional, not held calculate purchasing levels of raw materials optional
- still to learn supplier management required
- still to learn business strategy concepts required
- still to learn supply chain principles required
- optional, not held conflict management optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held human resource management optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
- optional, not held risk management optional
- still to learn manage inventory required
- still to learn forecast workload required
- still to learn identify suppliers required
- optional, not held programme work according to incoming orders optional
- optional, not held manage human resources optional
- optional, not held manage sub-contract labour optional
- still to learn order supplies required
- optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a resource manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 analyse supply chain trends practise this
- 02 manage inventory practise this
- 03 supplier management study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 18 skills that carry over
- already held assess financial viability skill
- already held assess supplier risks skill
- already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
- already held follow company standards skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held maintain relationship with customers skill
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held perform project management skill
- already held perform resource planning skill
- already held project management knowledge
- already held strive for company growth skill
- already held supply chain management knowledge
- already held control financial resources skill
- already held ensure equipment availability skill
- already held estimate duration of work skill
- already held estimate profitability skill
- already held manage supplies skill
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held programme work according to incoming orders optional
- optional, not held accurately estimate work hours optional
- optional, not held advise on risk management optional
- optional, not held apply for government funding optional
- optional, not held calculate purchasing levels of raw materials optional
- optional, not held conflict management optional
- optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held human resource management optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
- optional, not held manage human resources optional
- optional, not held manage sub-contract labour optional
- optional, not held risk management optional
73 held skills the resource manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting knowledge
- 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 budget for financial needs skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role contract law knowledge
- 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 create solutions to problems 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 employment law knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy conservation knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure equipment maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role establish daily priorities skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate employees skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate project plans skill
- not needed by the target role facilities management in the organisation knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle customer complaints 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 customer service 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 facilities services skill
- not needed by the target role manage logistics skill
- not needed by the target role manage maintenance operations skill
- not needed by the target role manage major incidents skill
33 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 supplier management required
- still to learn business strategy concepts required
- still to learn supply chain principles required
- optional, not held conflict management optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held human resource management optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
- optional, not held risk management optional
Other moves recorded from operations manager
- programme manager 81% covered · adjacent
- facilities manager 63% covered · moderate
- project manager 61% covered · moderate
- quality services manager 54% covered · moderate
- 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 resource manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An operations manager already covers 47% of what a resource manager is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 13 of which the resource manager role treats as required.
What skills does an operations manager need to become a resource manager?
12 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is analyse supply chain trends.
How hard is the move from operations manager to resource manager?
Its learning distance is 57.7 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.