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 also further 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 25 operations manager cover letter samples with an outline and tips, so you’ll be ready to roll.
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.
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Assistant Manager of Operations Cover Letter Example
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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.
Senior Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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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 No Experience Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- “Urgh, just another Ctrl+C, Ctrl+v blocks of text” is the last thought you want to run through the recruiter’s mind as they scan your operations manager no experience cover letter. It’s crucial, then, that you tailor your piece to the job ad like a bespoke suit you’d pick for a job interview.
- You want to play detective, scanning the job description to identify relevant keywords, after which you scatter them throughout your cover letter. Doing so will give you an edge over candidates who failed to go the extra mile. And who knows, it might be the golden ticket to land a job interview with your dream company.
Entry-Level Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- Jumping back into the job market, but this time with your eyes locked on an entry-level operations manager position? Even if your resume isn’t dripping with years of field-specific work history, showcasing transferable skills from other jobs in your cover letter can strike the right chord.
- Take a leaf from Khan when applying this entry-level operations manager cover letter strategy. Highlighting his analytical skills and expertise in Microsoft Office Suite, all while giving the nod to his educational background, is a stellar example of playing your cards right for the open role.
Senior Business Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- Let not the allure of securing that senior business operations manager seat drive you to hit the “send” button before proofreading your cover letter. Otherwise, you risk automatically pulling yourself out of the competition. Yes, those seemingly trivial grammatical mistakes can be your candidacy’s kryptonite.
- Once you’ve penned your senior business operations manager cover letter, step away for a moment. Returning with fresh eyes, review it not once but multiple times to spot and do away with punctuation errors, typos, awkward phrases, as well as excessive passive sentences.
Healthcare Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- A beautifully composed and impactful healthcare operations manager cover letter can woo every recruiter who lays their eyes on it. One of the secrets is to express genuine admiration for the company that could become your next home.
- Right in the introduction, applaud the healthcare institution’s can’t-miss achievements, whether a recent industry award, a ground-breaking project, or even exemplary customer testimonials. Better yet, emphasise your eagerness to steer the brand toward greatness, anchoring this statement later with examples of quantified accomplishments. Yes, prove that you’re really an asset and not just an admirer.
Manufacturing Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- Even a resume is good for nothing without an outstanding manufacturing operations manager cover letter complementing it. And, unknown to most, all it takes to whip up this much-needed accompaniment is a touching tale of a memorable experience with the company you are targeting.
- Garcia’s piece makes for an excellent example here—it’s the first secret she shares. Divulging that an undergraduate engineering project focusing on the hiring company’s operations births her passion and career dreams expresses real interest in the organization. Capitalize on such a blend of passion and familiarity.
Food and Beverage Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- Aha! So, you’ve set your eyes on a food and beverage operations manager position, but does your cover letter show that you’re finally ready to join the big boys’ club? Quantify your previous accomplishments in a leadership or supervisory role, and the hiring manager will be totally sold.
- For instance, in his food and beverage operations manager cover letter, Nguyen isn’t averse to drawing attention to his stint as a supervisor at Joule, where his team achieved a 26% uplift in customer return rates.
Home Care Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- For a compelling home care operations manager cover letter, kick things off by accenting your objective for the role (simply put, conveying your vision for the position).
- Here, it’s about making a personalized statement that invites the recruiter to envision you in the role. Weave together various aspects of your experience, job-relevant skills, and scholarly knowledge, painting a vibrant portrait of a worthy candidate ready to make a tangible difference in the lives of clients and their families.
Call Center Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- Transitioning to the world of call center operations manager, remember you’re competing against hundreds of candidates, several of whom are qualified for the role. Your golden ticket to standing out like a shooting star lighting up the sky could be all in the formatting.
- How about using the same font for all your equally sized paragraphs that fit one page, save for your name and job title, which should be a tad larger and in bold? Anything too big or small, and your call center operations manager cover letter looks cramped or sparse.
Why this cover letter works
- While there’s no need to add a lot of flair to your IT operations manager cover letter, packing the relevant info can make recruiters jump at the idea of bringing you on board. Have you given thought to highlighting your expertise in industry-relevant software?
- Take a leaf out of Ava’s piece; she flaunts her in-demand IT skills in SQL, Excel, Power BI, and Python. And the cherry on top? She has soft skills like problem-solving and leadership up her sleeves, too, proving that she is indeed worth her salt.
Why this cover letter works
- In the hotel industry, polished presentation is everything. Yes, most recruiters will only want to read your 5-star hotel operations manager cover letter if they like what they see, so how about blowing them away with a stand-out professional template?
- Ideally, your hotel operations manager cover letter template should be simple and neat; no fancy fonts, shouting colors, or sections to steal the spotlight from the really important parts (header and body). Of course, there’s no harm in using bold and a larger font to draw attention to key sections, such as names and dates.
Security Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- While you must convey your value to nail any open role, a seemingly well-written security operations manager cover letter showcasing your job-relevant skills and wins won’t cut it unless you address it properly.
- How about steering clear of the generic “Dear Sir/Madam,” “Hello,” and “To Whom It May Concern”? Instead, do a little digging (on LinkedIn, the hiring company’s website, or Google) and find out the hiring manager’s name so you’ll have something personal like “Dear Ms. Davis.”
Regional Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- You’ve included the hiring organization’s info and your contact deets and even emphasized your personal value — right on! But you see, setting yourself apart from the sea of other applicants can be a bit tricky if you don’t humanize your regional operations manager cover letter.
- Personalizing your cover letter by using “I,” while charging forth with confidence, enthusiasm, and character goes a long way to showcase your authenticity and spark interest from a hiring manager. After all, nobody wants to work with a robot, right?
Retail Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- Picture a stranger striking up a conversation by applauding your incredible wins. Flattering, right? Empower your retail operations manager cover letter by putting a spotlight on the hiring company’s remarkable wins.
- Amelia’s cover letter is the ne plus ultra for this case. Notice how she starts by touching upon the American Eagle Outfitter’s record-breaking Q4 2023 revenue, which fuels her desire to submit her application and join the A team.
Construction Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- On the ground, you are a pro at managing teams, meeting project deadlines, and keeping clients smiling. But is your cover letter concrete enough to convince recruiters they need your handy skills and leadership acumen?
- Putting your administrative brilliance under the limelight can make your construction operations manager cover letter sparkle (think instances you slashed expenses, bumped up productivity levels, etc.). Examples include Oliver achieving a groundbreaking 22% cut in project timelines, translating to an impressive $478,262 in savings.
School Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- You’ve got the academic qualifications, experience, and skills to be a best-fit for this role — cool. However, that might not make the recruiter’s heart flutter if your school operations manager cover letter still leaves them in the dark about why you’re after that particular job.
- What motivated you to apply for the open school operations manager role? Answering this question could show recruiters that you’re the real deal. For instance, you could give a reason why you’re so passionate about education.
Warehouse Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- Just like warehouse shelves, your warehouse operations manager cover letter shouldn’t hold more information than needed; too many blocks of text, and the recruiter is already yawning, reaching out for the next cover letter. Do you now see why you must keep things brief?
- For your piece, stick to 4-5 equally sized paragraphs covering all the necessary details; we’re talking about notable accomplishments, experience, and a few industry-relevant skills to sweeten the deal.
Marketing Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- You’ll hardly land that dream gig as a marketing operations mastermind without undeniable evidence that you’re up to the task. This requirement underscores the need to present a compelling marketing operations manager cover letter that shows you can sell yourself.
- How about showcasing your knowledge of the hiring company’s culture? It’s a brilliant move. It shows that you’ve done your homework and want to work in a place whose values match yours. For example, Maya says that Larkins dedication to innovation and operational excellence aligns profoundly with her approach to work. You might as well join the team, right?
Distribution Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- Facing off with scores of candidates, some of whom mighty outshine you in skills and experience, no doubt seems daunting. Forging a genuine connection with the hiring manager through your cover letter could be your golden ticket.
- Inject a slice of your personal life in your distribution operations manager cover letter. That way, recruiters can catch a glimpse of your personality and understand how it would benefit the hiring organization. For example, mentioning how your passion for chess has taught you the value of foresight can reveal a valuable trait of a forward-thinking manager.
Branch Operations Manager Cover Letter Example
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Why this cover letter works
- Good things come in pairs. How about a reverse chronological format for your branch operations manager cover letter to match your resume and give recruiters a better view of your career path?
- Give recruiters a peek into your relevant job experience by arranging your work history by recency so they can see your career progression. Perhaps, like William, you slashed budget overruns and curbed losses at your former workplace. And perhaps before that stint, you got a grasp of the operational demands of the banking world in a junior role at a local bank.
Why this cover letter works
- Here you are, looking to shake up your career and break into a new industry. Now, what’s the secret to crafting a compelling brand operations manager cover letter? Hint — demonstrate your highly transferable skills as well as value to potential employers.
- Perhaps you’ve been in the culinary lifestyle industry (like Victoria) and want to bag a job as a brand operations manager in a gaming company. Highlighting sought-after skills like, say, project management, process optimization, vendor relations, and communication is the way to go.
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
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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.
Operations Manager Resume
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Stand Out with Your 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
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
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
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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!
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.
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.
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.
