Operations Director CV example

From boardroom-ready formatting to pinpointing which achievements to spotlight, this guide covers everything you need to write a high-impact Operations Director CV.

Writing a CV might just be the hardest part of any job: each section of this guide is designed to show you how to align your content with what senior recruiters want to see – from leadership credentials to operational wins.

An Operations Director role demands seamless systems and clear oversight – you’ll need to apply those skills to the structure of your CV. If it’s cluttered or clunky, a recruiter may assume your strategy is too; each part of your CV should be broken down into clear, navigable sections which any recruiter can easily skim through.

Here’s how your CV should be laid out:

• Name and contact details – Display your personal info clearly at the top so employers can get in touch easily. Including a photo is entirely optional.
• Profile – Begin with a concise summary that highlights your expertise and what you bring to the role.
• Core skills – Highlight your strongest skills that align with the role’s requirements.
• Work experience – Start with your most recent role and work backwards, showcasing achievements and responsibilities.
• Education – Mention your degrees, certifications, and any training that supports your career path.
• Additional info – Include any additional details, like awards, professional memberships, or hobbies and interests that highlight your skills or personality.

Think of your CV as an executive summary: use bullet points to streamline key information, keep sections clearly divided with bold headers, and choose a professional font that reflects clarity. And keep it under two pages in length – that’s short enough to maintain attention, long enough to make a strong case. Remember that even the most competent candidates will end up in the reject pile if their CV format is full of avoidable mistakes.

A professional profile is your elevator pitch – a chance to sum up your leadership experience and sector knowledge in just a few lines.

This intro should clearly signal to the recruiter what kind of operations leader you are: strategic, data-driven, commercially focused, or transformation-oriented. Get to the point fast, and make every word earn its place. Your goal here is to convince recruiters that hiring you will benefit the wider operation.

Include these essentials in your CV profile:

• Where you worked – Mention the size or type of business, such as a multinational, high-growth startup, or manufacturing firm.
• Your top qualifications – Whether it’s an MBA, a Lean Six Sigma certification, or a CMI chartership, include your standout credentials.
• Essential skills – Mention strengths like cost control, process improvement, or cross-functional team leadership.
• Business impact – Highlight strategic results, such as reducing overheads or leading a successful restructure.
• Sector expertise – If you’ve worked across sectors (e.g. FMCG, tech, logistics), be sure to mention that versatility.
  

This section gives recruiters a rapid-fire look at your strengths – perfect for busy execs scanning CVs between meetings, or recruiters with a hundred more applicants to get through.

Use 4–8 bullet points to present your most relevant competencies. Tailor your CV skills to the specific role each time – for example, dial up supply chain experience for a logistics-heavy post, or transformation leadership for a change-focused brief.

Avoid buzzwords and keep each point focused on practical, tangible skills that reflect senior-level expertise.

This is the backbone of your CV – and where you show how you’ve actually led and improved operations. Go through your work experience in reverse chronological order, placing more detail and space into your most recent positions. Recruiters will be looking for context, scale, and results, so don’t hold back on facts and figures.

Structure each entry with bullet points rather than paragraphs – they’re far easier to scan, and far more effective at showing value fast. And if you’re short on experience at director level, bring forward your most relevant achievements from senior management roles – it’s impact that counts, not just titles.

• Outline – Summarise your role and the nature of the company. Include scale (e.g. size of operation, turnover, team), and mention reporting lines and business focus (e.g. supply chain, finance, production).
• Responsibilities – Detail the scope of your work, highlighting leadership responsibilities, strategic initiatives, and major decisions made, using power words where possible. Mention systems, tools, or frameworks used where relevant.
• Achievements – A useful tip is to focus on quantifiable results. Whether you cut costs, improved lead times, or led cultural change, back it up with numbers to show you deliver results, not just reports.

While qualifications won’t outweigh experience at this level, they still matter – especially when it comes to MBAs, specialist training, or leadership certifications.

Keep it brief and professional. If your most recent qualification was a few years back, just list the essentials. As always, order your education section in reverse chronological order so the most recent (and likely most relevant) ones are at the top.