How to write an operations manager job description (UK template)
A good UK operations manager job description has eight parts, in this order: a plain job title; why the role exists; five to eight responsibilities; what success looks like at 6 and 12 months; must-haves kept apart from nice-to-haves; a salary range; location and working pattern; and how to apply. Aim for one page and publish the salary. As of October 2026, UK average operations manager salaries range from £46,802 (Indeed, base salary) to £60,118 (Reed). A copyable template is below.
By Ali Grant, founder of LemonadeUpdated
What an operations manager does in a small company
In a company of 5 to 50 people, the operations manager is often the person who takes the day-to-day running of the business off the founder. Indeed's employer template lists the core duties: overseeing daily operations across departments, improving processes, tracking performance and reporting on it, managing budgets and purchasing, keeping the business compliant with its policies and regulations, coordinating teams and suppliers, spotting operational risks, maintaining quality and health and safety standards, and leading staff. It notes that practical leadership experience and strong operational skills often count for more than formal qualifications.
Pick the five to eight duties that are genuinely yours, in your words. An advert that lists all of them tells candidates you have not decided what the job is.
The template
Copy it, then replace everything in [square brackets]. Delete any line that does not apply.
Turn this into a search. The first search is free: 30 days, any salary, no card needed. Attach this description when you brief Lem, the AI recruiter from Lemonade (makelemonade.io), and the job spec builds itself. Lem then sources, screens and introduces interested candidates, so the interviews are the only part left to you. No hire fee.
Template
Operations Manager
[Company name] · [Town or city], [on-site / hybrid, X days a week in the office / remote within the UK]
[£X to £Y] a year · [Full-time / X days a week] · Permanent
Why this role exists
We are a [what you do, in one line] with [number] people. [Founder or MD] currently runs day-to-day operations alongside [their main job]. We need someone to own how the business runs, so [the founder can focus on X / we can grow to Y].
What you will do
- Run day-to-day operations across [teams, sites or functions].
- Own the operating budget for [area], including purchasing and supplier contracts.
- Find where work gets stuck, fix the process, and measure whether the fix worked.
- Set and report on the numbers that show how operations are going, such as [on-time delivery / response times / cost per order].
- Manage [number] people in [team names], including hiring, one-to-ones and performance.
- Keep us compliant with [health and safety / data protection / sector rules that apply].
- Be the main contact for [key suppliers, partners or clients].
What success looks like
- After 6 months: [for example, a weekly operations report the leadership team uses, and the founder no longer handles supplier issues].
- After 12 months: [for example, a measurable improvement in one number you name, and a team that runs without daily founder input].
What you need
- Run day-to-day operations for a team, site or business, with responsibility for results.
- Managed a budget and made spending decisions.
- Improved a process and can show the before and after.
- [If the role has reports] Line-managed people.
- [One more genuine requirement for this role, if there is one.]
It would help if you have
- Worked in [your sector].
- Used [specific tools you use, such as an inventory, CRM or finance system].
- A management or process-improvement qualification.
What we offer
- [£X to £Y] a year, plus [bonus, pension contribution, holiday above the statutory minimum, other benefits].
- [Working pattern and flexibility, stated plainly.]
How to apply
[Where to apply and what to send.] Tell us in a few lines about a process you improved and what changed. If you need any adjustments to apply or to attend an interview, tell us and we will make them.
Section by section
Job title
Use "Operations Manager", the plain title candidates recognise. Put scope in the summary, not in a creative title.
Why this role exists
Two or three sentences: what the company does, how big it is and what problem the hire solves. A strong candidate who is not looking reads this first.
What you will do
Five to eight lines, each starting with a verb, each something you could check. "Own the operating budget" is checkable; "drive operational excellence" is not.
What success looks like
It tells candidates what they will be judged on and forces you to decide what the job is for.
What you need / It would help if you have
Keep essentials and extras in separate lists. The table below shows which is which for this role. In a Lemonade brief, must-haves can also be marked as deal-breakers, which Lem treats as hard filters.
What we offer
Lead with the salary range and working pattern. See "Salary and location" for how to set the range.
How to apply
Offer adjustments: under the Equality Act 2010 you must make reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants and interviewees (ACAS).
Must-haves vs nice-to-haves
| Requirement | Must-have or nice-to-have | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Has run day-to-day operations with responsibility for results | Must-have | The core of the job |
| Has managed a budget | Must-have | Most small-company ops roles own spend |
| Has improved a process and measured the result | Must-have | Separates managing from improving |
| Has line-managed people | Must-have if the role has reports | Optional if it is a team of one |
| Experience in your sector | Nice-to-have | Operations skills transfer; making it essential shrinks the pool |
| Specific software you use | Nice-to-have | Most systems can be learned |
| A degree | Usually leave out | Indeed's template says practical leadership experience often counts for more than formal qualifications |
| Management or process-improvement qualification (for example the Operations manager apprenticeship standard, ST0385) | Nice-to-have | Useful evidence, rarely essential |
| A set number of years' experience | Leave out | ACAS lists "highly experienced" as wording that can discriminate against age; describe the scope of experience instead |
Sources: ACAS, Indeed, Skills England. Competitor details checked 21 October 2026. Lemonade prices correct as of 21 October 2026.
ACAS suggests turning each point in your job description and person specification into a checklist and scoring every application against it. That only works if you are honest about what is essential: every extra must-have shrinks your pool.
Salary and location
Two UK salary sites, checked 22 October 2026, give different answers:
- Indeed: average base salary £46,802 a year, from 8.9k salaries reported on Indeed in the past 36 months, updated 18 October 2026. Indeed lists London at £49,026 a year, among its highest paying cities.
- Reed: average £60,118, with a range of £55,721 to £66,292. The page says 2,211 Reed.co.uk jobs fall within that range, but does not say how the average is worked out, and gives no date for the figures.
The two sites measure differently (Reed does not say how its average is worked out), and the title covers everything from running one site to running a whole business, so check live roles. To set your range:
- Find live operations manager roles near you with similar scope (team size, budget, sector) and note their salaries.
- Place your role in that spread by how much of the business it runs.
- Publish a range, not "competitive". Candidates can tell in seconds whether to read on, and you avoid interviewing people you cannot afford.
Location: say where the job is and how many days are in the office. "Flexible" alone tells a candidate nothing.
What to leave out
ACAS's guidance on advertising a job (last updated 30 June 2026) says you must not ask for or exclude anyone with a protected characteristic, and you should "use inclusive language that defines the job not the applicant". For an operations manager advert:
- Age-coded words. The advertising guidance gives "recent graduate" and "highly experienced" as phrases that can discriminate against age. ACAS's age discrimination guidance (last updated 27 March 2025) adds that terms such as "Gen Z" or "millennials" can indicate an age group. Also avoid "young", "energetic team" and "digital native".
- Gendered words. ACAS's examples are "barmaid" and "handyman". Use neutral job titles and "you" throughout.
- Nationality instead of language. If the job needs a language, name the language and level, not a nationality (ACAS's example is "German-speaking", not "German").
- Requirements you cannot justify. A degree, a driving licence or a fixed number of years, unless the job genuinely needs it.
- Filler. "Rockstar", "work hard, play hard" and "fast-paced environment" say nothing.
The nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. This is guidance, not legal advice.
Variants: operations manager in a startup, in logistics, in a services business
- Startup. Often the founder's first senior hire: finance admin, people admin, tools and suppliers. Say which are in scope, and that the role will change as the company grows.
- Logistics or warehouse. Weight towards health and safety, shifts, stock accuracy and delivery performance. Name your systems and state shift hours.
- Services business. Weight towards scheduling, client delivery and quality. Say which clients or accounts the role covers.
From job description to candidates
Where Lemonade fits. We make Lemonade.
A finished description is where the slow part starts: finding, sifting and chasing people alongside the day job. Lemonade sources, screens and introduces interested candidates for UK roles, so the founder or head of operations running the hire only does the interviews. Lem hunts. You interview.
- Brief. Describe the role to Lem, Lemonade's AI recruiter in a chat, or attach the description above, and the job spec builds itself; a strength check shows what to add before it goes live. The role goes on your Lemonade job page, Google for Jobs, and LinkedIn if you choose.
- Hunt. Three sources: Lemonade's talent pool, people Lem sources directly and applicants to your job posts. Many strong candidates are busy in another job; Lem finds those people and asks if they are interested.
- Screen. Every applicant to your job posts (including adverts you run yourself on Indeed or LinkedIn), and every person Lem sources, is scored against your brief with the reasoning shown. Deal-breakers are hard filters, nice-to-haves add to a score without ruling anyone out, and gaps are shown as plainly as strengths, so the honest split in the table above pays off. Matching is built on more than a million job matches and user feedback, and gets sharper as feedback comes in.
- Introduce. Only people who have confirmed their interest reach your shortlist. Request an intro and we can connect you in minutes.
Lem never approaches anyone about a role at a company they have worked for. More on how Lem treats candidates in How Lem stays fair.
Who it suits. Lem works best for people with more than five years' experience; for junior, hourly or high-volume roles a job board is usually the better choice. If you cannot accept any upfront fee, a contingency agency, paid only when someone starts, may fit better.
On this role. The Search Fee follows the top of your advertised range. For example, a range topping out at £50,000 costs £450; one topping out at £58,000 costs £650. These are examples of how the bands work, not salary advice.
Lemonade pricing
Prices correct as of 21 October 2026. Full pricing
- First search free: 30 days, any salary, no card needed, one per company.
- Pay as you go: a Search Fee per role for 30 days of searching: £450 (salary up to £50k), £650 (£50k to £100k) or £1,200 (above £100k). Another 30 days for £250 if needed.
- No hire fee, on any plan.
- Refund: We will refund your Search Fee if you don't interview any of our candidates. Applies to roles paid for one at a time. Claim it from your portal within 14 days of the search ending. Refunded to your original card within five working days.
- Plans: Team £990 a month (24 roles a year), Growth £1,800 a month (48 roles a year), on a 3-month minimum, or £825 and £1,500 a month on an annual plan. Searches run until the role is filled. LinkedIn promotion at cost, with no 5% fee.
- Optional LinkedIn promotion, charged at cost plus 5%. Unspent budget is refunded; the 5% handling fee is not.
Lemonade does not currently charge VAT (not VAT-registered). Employer Terms of Business
FAQ
What does an operations manager do in a small company?
They run the day-to-day so the founder does not have to: processes, suppliers, budgets, reporting, compliance and usually a small team. The role is broad in a small company, so the job description should say exactly which areas are in scope.
What should an operations manager job description include?
A plain job title, a short summary of why the role exists, five to eight responsibilities, what success looks like at 6 and 12 months, must-haves and nice-to-haves as separate lists, a salary range, location and working pattern, and how to apply, including an offer of adjustments.
Should I put the salary in the job description?
Yes, as a range. Averages vary by source (in October 2026, Indeed £46,802 base and Reed £60,118), so check live roles with similar scope near you rather than relying on an average. A range lets candidates decide quickly whether to apply, and if you use Lemonade, the Search Fee is set from the top of your range.
What is the difference between a job description and a person specification?
A job description sets out the job: purpose, duties, reporting line, pay and location. A person specification sets out the skills, knowledge and experience someone needs to do it. ACAS refers to the job description and person specification together as the basis for scoring applications; the template above combines them on one page.
Can ChatGPT write my job description?
Yes, as a first draft. Give it your real responsibilities and range, then remove requirements you did not ask for, age-coded or gendered words, US terms and any guessed salary. More in Lemonade vs using ChatGPT yourself.
How do I find an operations manager once the description is ready?
Post it on job boards to reach active applicants, use a contingency recruitment agency if you want to pay only when someone starts, or use an AI recruiter such as Lemonade, which draws on its talent pool, people it sources directly and applicants to your job posts. Lemonade's first search is free.
Hiring an operations manager?
Brief Lem with your job description. Lem sources, screens and introduces interested candidates, and only people who have confirmed their interest reach your shortlist. The first search is free: 30 days, any salary, no card needed. No hire fee, on any plan.
Sources and notes
- Indeed, “Operations manager job description” (employer template, last updated 18 September 2026): https://uk.indeed.com/hire/job-description/operations-manager, checked 21 October 2026
- Indeed, “Operations manager salary in United Kingdom” (£46,802 average base, 8.9k salaries reported in the past 36 months, updated 18 October 2026; London listed under "Highest paying cities" at £49,026): https://uk.indeed.com/career/operations-manager/salaries, checked 22 October 2026
- Reed, “Average Operations Manager salary” (£60,118 average, range £55,721 to £66,292, with 2,211 Reed.co.uk jobs within that range; no date given for the figures): https://www.reed.co.uk/average-salary/average-operations-manager-salary, checked 22 October 2026
- ACAS, “Advertising a job” (last updated 30 June 2026): https://www.acas.org.uk/recruitment/how-to-advertise-a-job, checked 21 October 2026
- ACAS, “Choosing who to interview” (last updated 30 June 2026): https://www.acas.org.uk/recruitment/choosing-who-to-interview, checked 21 October 2026
- ACAS, “Follow discrimination law” (reasonable adjustments; last updated 30 June 2026): https://www.acas.org.uk/recruitment/follow-discrimination-law, checked 21 October 2026
- ACAS, “Age discrimination” (last updated 27 March 2025): https://www.acas.org.uk/age-discrimination, checked 21 October 2026
- McCord Recruitment Services, “Service fees” (an example of contingency terms: a fee "for all successful permanent placements", invoiced on the candidate's start date): https://www.mccordrecruitmentservices.com/our-services/service-fees/, checked 21 October 2026
- legislation.gov.uk, “Equality Act 2010, section 4” (protected characteristics): https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/4, checked 21 October 2026
- Skills England, “Operations manager apprenticeship standard ST0385 (v1.4)”: https://skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0385-v1-4, checked 21 October 2026
- Lemonade, “Pricing” (first search, plans and refund): https://makelemonade.io/employers#pricing
- Lemonade, “How Lem works” (brief, hunt, screen, introduction): https://makelemonade.io/employers
- Lemonade, “How Lem stays fair” (scoring against the brief, evidence shown): https://makelemonade.io/fairness
- Lemonade, “Employer Terms of Business” (salary range and bands 4.2, no hire fee 4.4, refund 5): https://makelemonade.io/employer-terms
Lemonade prices correct as of 21 October 2026.
All checked 21 October 2026, except the two salary pages, re-checked 22 October 2026.
We make Lemonade. We have tried to compare like for like; if anything here is out of date, email contact@makelemonade.io.