VP Operations: skills & capabilities the market requires

Based on 1,362 real VP Operations job postings, here is what companies actually require for this role today: the capabilities that define it, the hard skills named most often, the scope expected, typical experience and pay. The market leans hardest on Operational Excellence (80%) and Strategic Leadership (62%).

Open the interactive Skill Check to filter by country, industry and company size.

Core capabilities for a VP Operations

Operational Excellence — required in 80% of postings
Strategic Leadership — required in 62% of postings
Cross-functional Leadership — required in 41% of postings
Risk, Security & Compliance — required in 38% of postings
Executive Communication — required in 36% of postings
People Leadership — required in 36% of postings
Data & Analytics — required in 35% of postings

Most-required hard skills

Operations Management
Budget Management
Supply Chain Management
Process Improvement
Project Management
Strategic Planning
Process Optimization

Leadership & soft skills

Leadership
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Strategic Thinking
Communication

Scope, experience & pay

VP Operations roles expect deal / M&A experience in 2% of postings, IPO or capital markets in 1%, and transformation in 27%. Typical stated experience: 10 years. Pay signal from postings (base): $162K–$200K.

Want to know where you stand against this? Join TOPHEADS for your personal Skill Check.