What is the Average HR Operations Manager Salary?
The HR operations manager is one of the most critical positions within an organization’s human resources department. They head over the department’s workflows and work with other roles to ensure maximum productivity and minimum overhead. Since HR operations managers handle significantly important responsibilities, their salary ranges are significant. According to Glassdoor, the average HR operations manager salary is $89,819 per year.
It is essential to know the average compensation of an HR operations manager if you are interested in the role. This piece of knowledge helps you pursue the right job alerts and train for the most profitable opportunities. Therefore, if you are interested in the HR operations manager role, you should know how the pay for the position varies across industries and locations.
This article tells you all the vital compensation statistics related to the HR operations manager, the factors that affect it, and what the career path looks like so you can train better and become a competent HR operations manager.
HR Operations Manager Average Salary
The average salary numbers for the HR operations manager role vary across different compensation reporting platforms. Additionally, there is a slight variation in the numbers as you change locations within a larger area and search for HR operations manager salaries.
The average compensation numbers for the HR operations manager role, categorized as per salary-reporting platforms, are given below.
Glassdoor
According to the popular compensation statistics platform Glassdoor, the average annual HR operations manager salary is $89,819. This total amount comes from a base salary of $74,606 and an additional pay of $15,213. As per the site, the salary range for the HR operations manager role lies between $45,000 and $189,000.
PayScale
PayScale is yet another popular platform that compiles salary statistics from different industries and across other locations. According to PayScale, the average annual HR operations manager salary consists of a base salary of $83,301, and the base salary comes from a range between $57,000 and $110,000.
It reports that the HR operations manager role receives additional compensation such as average bonus of up to $16,000and profit-sharing of up to $8,000. The total pay for an HR operations manager lies between $55,000 and $119,000 annually.
Comparably
As per the salary estimates provider Comparably, the average HR operations manager salary within the US is $111,241. In addition, it reports an average base salary of $108,741 and that HR operations managers also get additional cash compensation of up to $2500.
The salary statistics vary significantly across different platforms, and the difference may arrive due to varying data collection methods. Nevertheless, the average annual HR operations manager salary across all platforms amounts to $106,686.
Career Outlook for HR Operations Managers
An HR operations manager is a significantly senior position within the human resources department and leads the HR operations team. Hiring an individual for this role is often the first step for organizations when they wish to set up an HR operations team. The hired HR operations manager then recruits competent employees for other roles within the team, such as HR operations administrator and HR operations specialist. However, an HR operations manager can progress to more senior roles by reaching an adequate experience level.
After gathering the right skills and leading the HR operations team for long enough, an HR operations manager can progress to an HR Manager role and look over the entire department. Alternatively, the individual can secure a principal HR generalist position. Afterward, the individual can progress to a more senior role like VP of HR.
The average salaries for more senior positions on the HR operations manager career path (as per Glassdoor and reported in April 2022) are given below:
HR Manager
Apart from being similar job titles, glancing at the HR operations manager job description shows you how the role has many duties similar to that of an HR manager. However, an HR manager overlooks the entire human resources department, including the HR operations manager employees. Therefore the role involves more responsibilities and more competent business administration skills since it falls within the upper management category.
The HR manager role has average pay of $90,932 annually. The role requires around 5-7 years of professional experience and can lead to positions like senior HR manager.
Principal HR Generalist
The principal HR generalist is another senior position within the human resources department. The position can handle any kind of task related to the HR field and has significant years of experience behind it. The principal HR generalist can oversee entire HR functions and lead smaller teams of HR professional teams. Their work also includes daily administration tasks along with organizational planning activities.
The role requires more than eight years of professional HR experience and receives significant compensation. Specifically, a principal HR generalist gets an average pay of $145,111 annually and can lead to a VP of HR role.
Vice President of HR
The VP of HR is among the seniormost positions within the human resources department. Additionally, it is a vital executive position within the organization’s upper management. Therefore, they make crucial strategic decisions for the HR department and contribute to higher-level decision-making for the organization. The VP of HR directly manages the HR managers and collaborates with HR business partners to build an effective departmental workflow.
Since it is a senior role that handles several crucial duties, the VP of HR role receives annual average total compensation of $239,213. As per Glassdoor, more than 300 jobs are available within the US.
HR Operations Manager Salary Across Different Locations
According to Zippia, the location-wise categorization of cities with the highest paying HR business partner salaries is as below.
U.S. West Coast
- Portland: $86,103
U.S. Midwest/Rocky Mountains
- Chicago: $81,348
U.S. East Coast
- New York: $90,960
U.S. South
- Atlanta: $65,257
- Dallas: $73,324
In addition to these statistics, Zippia also reports that the average starting salary for HR operation managers is $47,000 and that the role is more common within public companies than in private companies. The highest-paying states for HR operations managers are as follows:
- Connecticut
- New York
- New Jersey
- California
- Alaska
Education Level for HR Operations Manager Role
Like any other role, the compensation of an HR operations manager depends on the education and qualifications of the individual. Since it is a significantly senior role, it requires extensive professional experience and a suitable knowledge base. While you can acquire the requisite experience over time, you can get the right education by pursuing an appropriate certification.
An HR operations manager role requires at least a Bachelor’s in human resources or business administration. A more advanced degree like an MBA further increases your chances of landing a well-paying HR operations manager role. Additionally, you need to have relevant professional experience, preferably within an administrative role.
Apart from an academic degree, you can pursue an HR certification since it has many advantages. You get to learn and acquire the necessary skills through a guided path. Additionally, the certificate or badge you receive can prove your knowledge and expertise. Finally, mentioning the certification in your resume boosts your credibility and showcases a desire to learn more and upskill yourself.
Some popular certifications you can pursue to add to your credibility as an HR operations manager are given below:
- HR University: They offer top-quality HR management certifications that prepare you for professional HR roles
- eCornell: It offers a popular certificate program in Human Resources management and is a credible platform since it is the official e-learning portal of Cornell University.
- SHRM: It is an industry-standard certification portal and offers ‘Certified Professional’ and ‘Senior Certified Professional’ certificates.
By acquiring the proper certifications, you increase the possibility of achieving a top-paying HR operations manager position. In addition, these certifications help you progress to more senior roles much more quickly.
HR Operations Manager Salary Across Top Companies
As per Glassdoor, here is what the annual average HR operations manager salary looks like in some of the top firms across different industries.
- Walmart: $81,000
- PepsiCo: $97,000
- LinkedIn: $111,000
- Google: $150,000
- Nike: $119,000
Conclusion
Compensation is one of the most critical parts of any job alert, and the same is true for the HR operations manager role. To ensure you are getting a market-competitive salary or above, you need to know the general salary statistics of the HR operations manager role. Now that you know the average HR operations manager salary, you can aim for high-paying opportunities at prominent organizations that also help you climb the career ladder.
The HR operations manager role involves overlooking an entire department’s efficiency, productivity, and policies. Additionally, it consists of monitoring employees’ methods and executing performance management wherever needed. While the role requires the individual to wear several hats, the HR operations manager also receives a significant salary. However, the salary may vary from company to company and is also dependent on the individual’s experience and skill set.
If you wish to achieve a high-paying HR operations manager role, you need qualifications and experience. Specifically, you need administrative and leadership skills to head the HR operations team and provide the department with constructive improvement strategies. By selecting the right opportunity within the right industry and the right location, you can ensure that you get an impressive HR operations manager job.
If you are new to Human Resources and are looking to break into an HR operations manager role, we recommend taking our HR Certification Courses, where you will learn how to build your skillset in human resources, build your human resources network, craft an excellent HR resume, and create a successful job search strategy.
