WHAT DOES AN OPERATIONS DO?

Published: Dec 05, 2025 - The Operations Professional optimizes daily business functions by coordinating workflows, managing resources, and ensuring operational compliance across all activities. This role involves improving efficiency through data-driven decisions, overseeing cross-functional processes, and maintaining consistent quality and service standards. The individual also supports strategic initiatives, resolves operational issues quickly, and drives continuous improvement to enhance overall organizational performance.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Operations

1. Operations Analyst Key Accountabilities

  • Analysis Tasks: Process submissions of statistical filings and resolve errors.
  • Regulatory Support: Assist management in the analysis of regulatory bulletins.
  • Report Preparation: Prepare various management reports and other regulatory filings.
  • Data Analysis: Perform data analysis and trending for management needs.
  • Audit Support: Provide support during audits.
  • Quality Review: Perform quality reviews and trending analysis for the Complaint Management Program.
  • Project Assistance: Assist the manager and the Underwriting Operations team on various projects.
  • Operations Support: Provide additional assistance to members of Underwriting Operations.

2. Junior Operations Analyst Job Summary

  • Operational Reconciliation: Perform operational reconciliations against the GCM based on trades, positions, and cash on a T+1 basis.
  • Issue Resolution: Liaise with GCM and front-office traders to resolve trade, position, and cash breaks.
  • Break Analysis: Support production and perform analysis of the critical position break report.
  • Settlement Management: Manage stock settlement and provide corporate action support.
  • Fee Management: Manage brokerage and fee accruals and reconciliations.
  • Regulatory Reporting: Complete daily regulatory and exchange reporting requirements.
  • Trade Support: Provide trade support, including trade management and driving STP performance.
  • P&L Accuracy: Liaise with product control to ensure the daily P&L is accurate.

3. Operations Assistant Roles

  • Inventory Management: Manage the overall inventory procedures in Shopee, the website, and other eCommerce platforms.
  • Inventory Support: Assist with inventory activities, including receiving and stocking merchandise.
  • Website Operations: Monitor and coordinate website operations on a daily basis.
  • Customer Service: Greet customers, respond to questions, and provide outstanding customer service.
  • Operational Efficiency: Ensure all operations are carried out in an efficient, appropriate, and cost-effective manner.
  • Showroom Management: Manage showroom operations and maintain cleanliness.
  • ERP Updates: Support data updates within the ERP system.
  • SharePoint Updates: Help update data and information within the internal SharePoint system.
  • Goods Inwards: Provide cover for goods inwards processing.
  • Purchasing Support: Provide support for processing purchase requisitions and general purchasing activities.

4. Operations Coordinator Additional Details

  • Merchandise Handling: Receive merchandise and prepare transfers to other locations.
  • Order Processing: Ensure all transfers and customer orders are wrapped, shipped, and received in accordance with TCO standards.
  • Inventory Accuracy: Ensure store inventory accuracy, merchandise condition, and availability to optimize customer service.
  • Invoice Processing: Ensure all merchandise invoices are processed.
  • Client Orders: Purchase and follow up on client orders.
  • Supply Ordering: Order all supplies.
  • Shipment Processing: Process shipments with local carriers.
  • Cycle Count Support: Assist the store manager in leading and coordinating cycle counts and physical inventory preparation.
  • Inventory Oversight: Oversee the yearly physical inventory and ensure correct procedures are followed.
  • Interdepartmental Liaison: Function as the liaison with facilities, accounting, IT, and auditors, follow up on inventory and audit issues, and manage record retention.
  • Transfer Administration: Administer transfers between locations.

5. Operations Engineer Duties and Roles

  • Technical Support: Provide technical and troubleshooting support to maintenance, operations, and integrity teams, including commissioning and start-up.
  • MOC Participation: Actively participate in the management of change (MOC) process in conjunction with facility stakeholders.
  • Vendor Collaboration: Collaborate with vendors, engineering firms, and subject matter experts to solve problems and resolve design issues.
  • Engineering Design: Utilize engineering skills to design issue-for-construction packages, addressing HSE and reliability concerns, optimization, pay-out justification, and regulatory compliance.
  • Technical Documentation: Prepare and authenticate technical drawings and documentation within the discipline, including P&IDs, piping isometrics, line designation tables, and code calculations.
  • Engineering Analysis: Perform hydraulic calculations and modeling, conduct process hazard analyses, and review transient pressure trends and studies.
  • Project Management: Provide project management for small capital and OPEX projects from conception to completion.
  • System Optimization: Monitor system operability and flow balances and make recommendations for optimization and improvement.
  • Controls Integration: Be familiar with the controls infrastructure and collaborate with the DCS specialist to implement changes as part of MOCs.
  • Repair Review: Provide input to and review repair plans and capital project execution.

6. Operations Manager Overview

  • Trade Affirmations: Perform daily trade affirmations.
  • Cash & Position Reconciliation: Reconcile daily cash and positions.
  • Trade Settlement: Take responsibility for settling trades.
  • Treasury Tasks: Execute treasury tasks, including margin and financing.
  • Corporate Actions: Monitor and process corporate actions.
  • P&L Monitoring: Actively monitor pricing and profit and loss within the PMS.
  • Shadow NAV: Produce the daily internal shadow NAV.
  • NAV Reconciliation: Reconcile NAVs with fund administrators.
  • Invoice Processing: Process invoices and perform related controls.
  • Financial Statement Review: Coordinate and review annual financial statements for funds.

7. Operations Planner Responsibilities and Key Tasks

  • Supplier Coordination: Liaise with offshore suppliers to ensure orders are confirmed accurately.
  • Order Management: Raise offshore orders in line with business requirements.
  • Shipment Oversight: Oversee FCL shipments and obtain status updates during production and transport.
  • System Updates: Update systems with timely and accurate delivery-schedule information.
  • Supplier Performance: Identify supplier performance gaps and communicate issues by exception.
  • Rate Negotiation: Negotiate freight forwarder rates and service levels to meet business requirements.
  • Documentation Verification: Verify import documentation, including commercial invoices and packing lists.
  • Customs Processing: Process documents for customs clearance and prevent unforeseen shipment delays.
  • Invoice Validation: Validate deferment statements and freight forwarder invoices before payment.
  • Landed-Cost Management: Manage the landed-cost process and electronically receive stock into the business.
  • Delivery Coordination: Arrange deliveries from the port to the warehouse and manage the timely arrival of containers.

8. Operations Specialist Functions

  • Transmission Processing: Receive incoming Fed and customer origination transmissions throughout the day and process files through the BankWay host system.
  • Positive Pay Uploads: Upload Positive Pay exception files.
  • IAT Processing: Upload IAT files for OFAC scans.
  • Origination Processing: Process outgoing origination entries to the Fed.
  • Exception Handling: Process exceptions and return items.
  • Fraud Monitoring: Monitor outgoing origination transactions to ensure no fraudulent activity has occurred.
  • Account Reconciliation: Balance daily reports and reconcile various general ledger and checking accounts.
  • Unauthorized Debit Handling: Handle Written Statements of Unauthorized Debit transactions and DNEs.
  • Procedure Development: Assist with writing new job procedures and revising existing ones.
  • File Testing: Assist in testing files for new originators.
  • Research Support: Perform research and assist TM Support and TM Operations.
  • Regulatory Knowledge: Understand NACHA rules and guidelines, and relevant banking laws and regulations of ACH and EFT.

9. Operations Supervisor Details and Accountabilities

  • Operations Monitoring: Monitor the productivity and daily functions of operations staff to ensure compliance.
  • Operational Support: Provide support, assistance, and backup to all operational functions.
  • Access Reviews: Complete all user access reviews for all operating systems.
  • Customer Service: Offer courteous and professional service for customer inquiries or complaints with prompt responses and resolutions.
  • Procedure Maintenance: Ensure procedures are maintained and kept current for the department and related activities.
  • Project Ownership: Take ownership of projects by researching, gathering data, evaluating, preparing reports, and implementing actions promptly.
  • Branch Support: Provide customer and account support to branch personnel.
  • Staff Coordination: Coordinate production staffing based on dynamic production schedules.
  • Maintenance Processing: Enter maintenance work notifications and identify and facilitate required work permits.

10. Operations Technician Role Purpose

  • Order Fulfillment: Kit and fulfil customer orders for kit sales.
  • Reporting: Generate reports.
  • Inventory Updates: Update inventory records and maintain traceability.
  • Invoice Generation: Generate invoices in SFDC.
  • Receivables Management: Administer receivables and collections.
  • COGS Monitoring: Be in charge of monitoring COGS.
  • Customer Setup: Set up and qualify new customers.
  • Sales Order Management: Enter and track sales orders.
  • AR Administration: Administer accounts receivable, invoicing, and collections.
  • Procurement Support: Serve as backup to procurement for office and lab supplies.
  • File Management: Manage the online filing system, including invoices and related documentation.
Relevant Information
What Does A Business Operations Specialist Do?
What Does An Operations Engineer Do?
What Does A General Operations Manager Do?
What Does A Head of Operations Do?