Operations Manager Certifications To Pursue (Plus Benefits)

Updated 11 April 2023

Operations managers are integral to a management team because they oversee many activities, from establishing training and hiring procedures to evaluating and improving organisational operations. As employers prefer operations managers with leadership, strategy and project management skills, validating your abilities through relevant certifications is important. If you are an operations manager or plan to become one, you may benefit from earning a certification in this field. In this article, we explain what operations manager certifications are, review the benefits of earning one and list some certifications you can pursue for a rewarding career.

Please note that none of the companies, institutions or organisations mentioned in this article are associated with Indeed.

What Are Operations Manager Certifications?

Operations manager certifications support your existing skills and help you learn more about the field of business operations. Earning relevant certifications based on your skills, competencies, experiences and educational qualifications can help you better manage and control business operations, like the production and manufacturing of goods and services. These courses primarily focus on forecasting, capacity planning, scheduling and managing inventories, facilities and layouts. They also include motivating and training employees, along with distribution, maintenance and purchasing.

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Benefits Of Earning Operations Manager Certifications

These certifications can help you progress in your career by providing you with formal verification of your skills and expertise in management. The following are some other benefits of earning these certifications:

Demonstrated proficiency: Certifications may show a commitment to professional development, competency in general management practices and leadership skills.
Improved knowledge: Completing these programmes may help you develop a deeper knowledge of management processes and learn additional skills, such as conflict resolution and ethics.
Increased job prospects: Certifications may also increase your job prospects because they may increase your value to employers.

Certifications For An Operations Manager

The following are some certifications you can pursue to excel in your role as an operations manager:

Introduction to Operations Management

Coursera offers the Introduction to Operations Management course by The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. This is an online course with a duration of four weeks. You learn to analyse and improve manufacturing or service industry business processes during the course. You also learn to use different methods to increase productivity and deliver high-quality standards. Some key concepts for the course include inventory level, process analysis, bottlenecks and flow rates. After completing the certification, you have knowledge of process management, Six Sigma, inventory and operations management.

Advanced Operations Management and Analytics

The Advanced Operations Management and Analytics certification by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode provides an in-depth understanding of advanced analytics and operations management concepts. This is an ideal certification for entry-level and mid-level operations managers who want to develop a strategic mindset and learn advanced concepts in operations management. During the course, you learn about project lifecycles and various project planning and management techniques, such as the critical path method and programme evaluation review technique.

You even gain expertise in economic order quantity, inventory management techniques and inventory classifications. Pursuing this certification requires a bachelor's degree or diploma with one year of relevant work experience. The duration of the course is 11 months, with three hours of online sessions every Sunday.

Post Graduate Certificate Programme in Operations Management (OMP)

The OMP certificate by IIM Nagpur helps in upskilling your domain knowledge. It is an 11-month programme that enables operations managers to make practical, tactical and operational decisions that align with organisational strategies. During the course, you learn about operations strategy, process flow, capacity analysis, project analysis, project planning and risks, project execution and control, project strategy and quality management. You even learn about capstone projects and business simulations, which can help you excel in your career.

The programme includes topics such as key operations management issues, operations management's role in staying competitive and advances in operations management, such as operations analytics and Industry 4.0. The eligibility criteria for this certification includes the following:

Bachelor's degree or equivalent or two-year master's degree or equivalent from any discipline
Minimum two years of work experience

Post Graduate Programme in Operations Management (POM)

The POM curriculum by Welingkar Education helps students understand key operations management concepts. You learn about management principles, operations management, purchasing and materials management, marketing and economics, supply chain management, risk management and service operations management. After the certification, you become proficient in quality management and industrial relations. You can complete the course in 11 months. You require at least a bachelor's degree in any area to enroll in the course.

Professional Certificate in Production and Operations Management

The Professional Certificate in Production and Operations Management by Amity University Online helps you understand the core features of production and operations management at the operational and strategic levels. You learn to control the organisation's operational department while emphasising process improvement. You also learn to develop an integrated framework for strategic thinking and implement operations management concepts for productivity.

The programme helps students develop knowledge in several areas, including capacity planning, process design and selection, linear programming, resource planning and production planning and control. It is an online course that you can complete in six weeks, requiring seven hours of study per week.

Project Management Professional (PMP)

The Project Management Institute offers the PMP certification programme that focuses on six areas of project execution. These areas include starting, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, closing and responsibility. Successful completion of the programme certifies that you can lead projects for any organisation and industry. It validates that you have skills in the following areas:

leading and motivating project teams throughout a project
using agile, predictive and hybrid approaches to determine the best ways of working with each project
helping with the success of a project and its impact on overall strategic organisational goals

Enrollment in the programme requires a bachelor's degree, at least 36 months of project experience and 35 hours of project management training. Programme completion requires taking a final exam and recertification every three years.

Operations Management in Small Businesses

The Operations Management in Small Businesses course by Udemy is an online self-study course that increases your proficiency in using tools, analytical methods and technical and computational skills. The course is ideal for operations managers working in small businesses. During the course, you learn about key operations management concepts and how operations management delivers business strategy. You also learn how you can plan and deliver operations, along with strategies for improving workplace operations. It is an intermediate-level course, which you can complete in approximately five hours. There is no eligibility requirement for completing this course.

Certified Operations Manager

The Certified Operations Manager certification by Vskills helps managers understand key concepts, functions and goals of operations management in the manufacturing and service industry. The course introduces you to key functions that are a part of operations in every organisation. You learn several topics, including organisational operations management, product and service management, inventory management, supply chain management and forecasting. You can complete the course in approximately 13 hours. To earn this certification, complete a 60-minute online exam comprised of 50 questions.

Operations Management: Process Mapping and Supply Chain

The Operations Management: Process Mapping and Supply Chain course by FutureLearn and Sentinel|9 helps you develop several skills, including process management, process mapping and design, quality and productivity management and supply chain management. Over the four-week course, you gain practical and theoretical knowledge of operations management. Supply chain management is also a focus in this course, which can help you learn to solve important business challenges. You also learn how to use technology to deliver process or business improvements. Employers may prefer this certificate because it also includes material covering supply chain management, which can benefit the organisation.

Operations Management

The Operation Management certificate by Great Learning teaches you about value, lean systems, lean enterprises and lean manufacturing. It is a free course to help entry-level operations managers develop a basic understanding of operations management. During the course, you learn about the basics of lean systems, manufacturing, value, toolbox, enterprise, enablers and tools. It is an online and self-paced study course. After completing the learning module, pass an assessment test to earn this certification.