5 Operations Manager Cover Letter Examples for 2024

Stephen Greet
Stephen Greet January 6, 2024
5 Operations Manager Cover Letter Examples for 2024

As an operations manager, you analyze how a business’ day-to-day activities impact its overall efficiency and profitability—and you’re looking for opportunities to improve. Your job skills cover everything from streamlining production schedules to collaborating across departments to ensure everyone functions in sync with the business plan. 

You’ll also analyze KPIs and compare them against existing goal-driven infrastructures to optimize wherever possible. The role alsofurther involves employee evaluation and collaboration with HR to ensure everyone’s on their quickest path to success.

What you probably don’t like doing is spending time writing a cover letter to complement your operations manager resume. That’s why we’ve put together our five operations manager cover letter samples with an outline and tips, so you’ll be ready to roll.


Operations Manager Cover Letter Example

USE THIS TEMPLATE

Operations manager cover letter template

Why this cover letter works

  • Medsien emphasizes compassion toward individual patients despite its broad reach, so Sabrina uses their language to connect via her own experiences.
    • Ensure the company will remember you personally and dive into the qualifications that make you a person worth considering for the operations manager role.
  • The company website and operations manager job listing provided Sabrina with specific requirements, preferences, and skills to align herself with—she answered their call for patient-focused management skills, previous experience in a medical setting, and an understanding of existing medical systems.
    • Not every place supplies so many details in the job ad that you can reference to highlight your fit. So, research the company and look for current obstacles that match your past accomplishments when writing your operations manager cover letter.

Level up your
cover letter game

Relax! We’ll do the heavy lifiting to write your cover letter in seconds.


Assistant Manager of Operations Cover Letter Example

USE THIS TEMPLATE

assistant manager of operations cover letter template

Why this cover letter works

  • Did you know a winning assistant manager of operations cover letter could be about merging cultures? Yes, aligning your values with those of the hiring company.
    • An outstanding example is how Elin incorporates the hiring company’s mission into her career aspirations. This approach doesn’t emphasize your interest in the role. It also shows how you see your future growing alongside the company— a powerful way to resonate with the hiring manager.

Sales Operations Manager Cover Letter Example

USE THIS TEMPLATE

Sales operations manager cover letter template

Why this cover letter works

  • Regarding a sales operations manager cover letter, your narration should resonate with these keywords: accelerating sales and success team management.
    • You could brag, not arrogantly though, how you ramped up the annual sales in a specific company by probably a solid $657,000+ or led a team to surpass the sales target, possibly by 78%. And don’t just use percentages. Dollar amounts can be persuasive.

Business Operations Manager Cover Letter Example

USE THIS TEMPLATE

Business operations manager cover letter template

Why this cover letter works

  • Everett leads with a relevant demonstration of his personality, making him stand out from other applicants by highlighting his history with the place he’s applying. He also skillfully covers his professional background and circles his learnings back to how they’ll benefit Chamberlain University.
    • Personality is vital when establishing a link to the company. The reader is more likely to remember you if you quickly offer skills pulled explicitly from the job description.
  • There are many references to the job requirements in this cover letter. For example: “change-management” and “managing multiple assignments according to plan” are great ways to establish relevance.
    • If the job description is dry, research the company website. If that’s sparse, find other reputable sources about what the company has accomplished or what it cares about to give you material to work with for your business operations manager cover letter.

Senior Operations Manager Cover Letter Example

USE THIS TEMPLATE

Senior operations manager cover letter template

Why this cover letter works

  • Dalila’s strong intro with a personal connection incorporates catchphrases from the job description and company site. She also demonstrates her experienced, in-depth industry understanding.
    • If you lack a concise personal anecdote to connect yourself with the company, then using personality, imagery, and a clear understanding of the company’s objectives can be just as effective in your senior operations manager cover letter.
  • DOT, OSHA, KPIs, supply chain, and manufacturing knowledge are excellent examples (all from the job ad) of how Dalila is ideal for this senior operations manager role. She also references key phrasing and skills from the company site in her closer.
    • Observe indicators of company culture as you write your cover letter. This job ad’s tone is more conversational, so it’s wise to mirror it and reference interpersonal connections.
    • A little research will help you find similar opportunities for personal alignment!

Operations Manager Resume

Need a resume to pair with your operations manager cover letter?

or download as PDF

Senior operations manager resume example

Stand Out with Your Operations Manager Cover Letter

Purple laptop on desk surrounded by paint & construction to enhance operations manager cover letter

Your cover letter is your personal introduction and should showcase the facets of who you are that make you a fantastic match for the operations manager role. Research the company and its current obstacles, go beyond your resume, and revise as many times as possible to nail your ideal message and tone.

Tip 1: Learn all you can about the company and its needs

Way too many cover letters get tossed aside with a yawn. They’re too generic. What company were they even written for? Do your homework and research the company to avoid leaving your reader wondering whether you even care about the role. 

When writing a cover letter, seek out mission statements and objectives to mirror in your letter. Keep an eye on company culture, too: Would they prefer heartfelt anecdotes or technical, succinct descriptions of hard skills that will solve their current challenges?

And, really—you can’t read that job description enough! The job ad is a mine of information about what the company wants; plenty of relevant skills are bound to match some of yours. Look for areas of overlap between yourself and the company, so you can reference them and demonstrate alignment with the company’s current needs.

Tip 2: Avoid repeating your resume

Like your operations manager resume, your cover letter should be only a page. Resumes are engineered to save space and to immediately lay as many of your cards out on the table as you can. But your cover letter is meant to go beyond your bullet points and show not only what you did but how your actions left a positive impact on your surroundings.

Once you’ve filled in your resume outline, look your bullet points over to find your absolute best achievements—the ones that come with stories of how you improved people’s lives through your role as an operations manager. For instance: 

  • Did you save your previous company a lot of money, enabling them to help more customers? 
  • How about the time you completely revamped the communication system between care providers and their patients?
  • Maybe you dramatically improved team efficiency in an impressive variety of departments—make sure you mention it!

Tip 3: Presentation is everything

While establishing a well-researched connection with the company and describing relevant accomplishments are excellent steps, you’re not done yet!

Since you don’t have space to waste on your single-page cover letter, handle each fork in the road with care. Don’t hesitate to write several versions of a sentence or paragraph and compare them against the job description and company site. Which one best matches the company culture and tone?

Don’t hesitate to write several versions of a sentence or paragraph and compare them against the job description and company site.

Never underestimate the power of rewriting, revising, and editing. Typos and mistakes have no place in your cover letter, so pay careful attention to your overall message.

How can you best phrase each paragraph to show “This person knows what they’re talking about?” After all, your role focuses on assessing all aspects of a business strategy and then streamlining it to everyone’s highest advantage—do the same for yourself with your cover letter.

If you feel like you’re going in circles, don’t get discouraged. Take a break, then re-read the job description and company’s about page before returning to your cover letter with fresh eyes. The effort and time will all be worth it when you get that interview.

Outline Your Operations Manager Cover Letter for Success

Yellow computer with construction crew outlining an operations manager cover letter

Now that you’ve seen our three operations manager cover letter examples, let’s dig into the specifics with a cover letter outline. We’ll break down each element of operations manager cover letters, so you have some handy tips to use while starting your own.

How to start an operations manager cover letter

Your contact info: Add your name, address, phone number, and email (alongside your LinkedIn or any other professional social media) if you use a cover letter template. 

  • Formatting: Leave your name out of your address if you use a block format.

Example

664 Fictional Street
Libertyville, IL 60048
(123) 456-7890 

Date: The date should reflect the exact submission date for your application materials. 

  • Formatting: Write out the full date, e.g., February 1, 2023.

Inside address: The inside address is just the address to whom you’re sending your cover letter. Make sure you research their name, include it, and then follow up with their company role and address.

Example

Micayla Handley, Hiring Manager
Ferguson 
5722 49th Street
Maspeth, NY 11378

  • Formatting: Each part of the address should go on a new line—double space between the inside address and your greeting.

Greeting: Also referred to as the salutation, this is essentially the “handshake” of your cover letter and your chance to make a good first impression. Do whatever research it takes to find the recipient’s name and use it—just don’t use boring, dated terms like “Dear Hiring Manager.”

Example

Dear Ms. Scott:
Dear Ms. Handley,

  • Formatting: Generally, you should default to a colon instead of a comma since this looks more professional. But if the company culture is more quirky or informal, a comma works.

How to write your operations manager cover letter

Body: The body of your operations manager cover letter will be three or four paragraphs demonstrating your interest in the role, qualifications, and enthusiasm for future contact and discussion.

  • Formatting: Keep body text single-spaced but double-spaced between paragraphs.

Opening paragraph: If you only had a dollar for every generic cover letter opener out there, you’d be seeking an operations manager role for fun instead of for the income! Take a look at these opening paragraph examples and see how they compare.

Bad

I know lots of people get sick, so it’s a good thing to help them. I’ve managed all kinds of projects, so I think the next step up for me is to work as your operations manager.

Why It’s Bad: It could be worse, but it definitely doesn’t offer anything specific. In fact, it sounds somewhat self-serving and offers no qualifications whatsoever.

Good

After witnessing the turbulent childhood of my chronically ill nephew, I can say with the utmost confidence that I deeply understand the value of excellent patient care. I would love to help further Medsien’s vision of improving care for all with my team-building and communication skills, confidence in uncertainty, and ability to roll up my sleeves to provide superior chronic care management services as your operations manager.

Why It’s Good: Between the personal link to the company’s mission of chronic care, the outright reference to its mission statement, and all the related skills listed in between, this opening paragraph is awesome. The skills also tie directly into the job description, showing that the applicant has done their homework and knows what they’re talking about.

Paragraphs 2-3: Now’s the time to make good on the claims you laid out in your stunning opening paragraph. You don’t have room to ramble, so focus each of your paragraphs on a single, clear accomplishment. You might mention an especially prestigious project you worked on or an innovative project coordination plan that revolutionized how your former company still does business today. Use only the most relevant metrics to substantiate your examples.

Example

Additionally, I gained ample experience driving the change-management process at Meridian, developing business plans to simplify and standardize business processes across 4 departments to ultimately result in an 18% improvement in online education platform performance. This boost in performance, combined with my determination to negotiate with vendors, saved Meridian $1.4M in one year

Why It’s Good: This applicant nails it by highlighting personal and company growth, describing achievements, and backing them with solid metrics. The candidate also provides just the right amount of detail.

Closing paragraph: Now’s the time to sign off with style, summarizing how you align with the needs expressed in the job description and the company values displayed on the company site. Work in a few more of your high points to reinforce your qualifications, and end with a call to action that invites further discussion.

Bad

Can’t wait to hear back from you. Ferguson seems great, don’t hesitate to ask me for more info.

Why It’s Bad: Again, the wording here could be worse, but it’s far too informal. The last sentence also lacks enthusiasm (not to mention that it’s a fragment)—it sounds like the apathetic applicant only put it there because they had to.

Good

I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity to work for North America’s leading value-added distributor and help streamline the company’s policies, production strategies, and employee efficiency in ordering and distributing materials. I’d appreciate the chance to share more information on how the people-focused environment at Ferguson would bring out the best in my qualifying managerial and data integration skills as your senior operations manager.

Why It’s Good: Leading with phrasing about the distributor echoed from the company site is a smart move, and closing a powerful list of relevant skills only makes it better. Even the call to action references the company culture.

How to end an operations manager cover letter

Signature: If you didn’t thank the reader for their time in your closing paragraph, make sure you do so now. Then, add a professional close and always use your real name.

Example

Thank you for your time,   

Sabrina Johnson

  • Formatting: If you’re offering hard copies of your operations manager cover letter, quadruple space to sign your name by hand in blue/black ink.

Enclosure(s): This important piece signals that there’s more material to review after your cover letter. Operations managers should, of course, include their resumes as well as any required application forms and professional letters of recommendation. 

Example

Enclosures: 
Resume
Application
Letter of Recommendation
Certified Business Professional (CBP) Certification

  • Formatting: Make sure you use the proper singular or plural form of “enclosure,” depending on how many items you include.

Next Steps after Your Operations Manager Cover Letter

Yellow envelope with blue checkmark in clouds depicts completion of operations manager cover letter

Congrats for making it this far! One thing, though: Your operations manager cover letter isn’t the only thing you’ll need to present. It’s time to get your resume in top shape so that everything is impressive and packaged together.

It’s easier to write your cover letter after writing and formatting your resume. Remember that once you have all your key points assembled, it’ll help you get into the headspace you need to make your cover letter outstanding.

If you’ve already got an old resume that could use some dusting off, upload it to our easy resume builder or add the contents to some of our modern resume templates just like the one below to start polishing.

Operations Manager Resume

Need a resume to pair with your operations manager cover letter?

or download as PDF

Operations manager resume example with 4+ years of experience

No matter what stage you’re at with your resume and cover letter, we offer tons of resources, so you can dazzle your potential employers and get the phone call or email you’ve been waiting for in 2024!


Should my cover letter target a specific position?

Operations managers may apply for several industries and roles, so specifying each unique position is crucial. For instance, the needs of a sales operations manager will be different than an IT operations manager. Ideally, you want to clearly state the specific position you are applying for and the company’s name while highlighting critical skills in the operations manager job post. For instance, you may list lead generation for the sales operations manager job or IT asset management for the IT operations manager position.

How do I address a career transition if I’m switching industries?

A good way to address a transition can be by touching on your passion for the industry of the company you’re applying to and how your skills will apply to their needs. For instance, if you’re switching to the healthcare industry, you could explain how you want to apply your supply chain management skills to help create more affordable healthcare solutions and how you’re passionate about the idea of your decisions benefiting the well-being of others.

How do I write a cover letter if the role is internal?

If you’re trying to grow your career within a company by moving up from an operations analyst or assistant operations manager position, you should use your experience and knowledge within the company to your advantage. Emphasize your impact, like boosting production or exceeding sales targets, and state why you believe moving into a role with more ownership will allow you to do even more for your company.