Traditionally, the Operations Director has been, above all, responsible for ensuring that the organization operates effectively. Optimizing costs, ensuring supply quality, and giving the organization the flexibility to respond through process design and management are among their main responsibilities, and an organization’s ability to compete sustainably depends on how well these areas are managed. All these responsibilities remain essential, but today they are no longer enough.
Digitalization, artificial intelligence, supply chain volatility, and the need for continuous innovation are expanding the scope of the role: the new kind of Operations Director must be able to connect strategy and execution, turn technology into results, and lead changes that cut across the organization.
The pace of change in the competitive environment requires Operations leaders to take a proactive and forward-looking role in decision-making. It is worth bearing in mind that, in this context, poor execution is not always the result of poor practice: it can also stem from a poor decision.
This is precisely the evolution addressed by Esade’s Spanish-language Executive Master en Estrategia de Operaciones e Innovación, a program for experienced professionals that offers an approach to operations designed to meet the changing demands of the business environment. Below, we examine the knowledge and skills that are redefining the role of the Operations Director.
What does an Operations Director do, and why is the role changing?
The responsibilities of an Operations Director, or COO (Chief Operating Officer), depend on the sector, company size, and organizational structure. However, their primary responsibility is to execute strategy and action plans effectively and with agility.
This means translating business objectives into concrete decisions: which processes to redesign, where to invest, which technologies to adopt, how to reorganize teams, how to adjust available resources, or how to design and manage the supply chain. But it also means identifying what needs to change for the organization to remain competitive.
In a recent podcast, McKinsey noted that today’s COOs operate at “the intersection of strategy, execution, and collaboration with the CEO.” This shift moves the focus from day-to-day management toward a broader responsibility: turning business priorities into results and helping define how the organization should evolve.
Operations Director responsibilities: from managing processes to creating competitive advantage
Efficiency remains one of the pillars of Operations management, but it can no longer be considered in isolation. Costs, productivity, quality, service, and the ability to respond flexibly must be connected to strategic priorities and the value the organization wants to create.
In this new context, some responsibilities take on particular importance:
1. Align operations with business strategy
One of the main responsibilities of the Operations Director is to translate strategy into operational capabilities, priorities, and objectives.
If a company wants to expand into new markets, improve customer experience, or develop a different value proposition, its processes, resources, and systems must be ready to make this possible. This requires establishing indicators to assess results and incorporating an economic perspective into operational decisions.
2. Design a more agile and resilient value chain
Managing operations means matching supply with demand in a highly unpredictable environment while balancing efficiency with the ability to respond flexibly.
In other words, the focus needs to be on managing demand. Because demand tends to be heterogeneous, supply needs to be structured by segment. And because demand is also dynamic, the response needs to be adaptive. This requires a governance model in which the Operations Director steps outside their comfort zone to build consensus with the Sales and Finance functions.
Operations management needs to understand the interdependencies across the entire value chain, anticipate vulnerabilities, coordinate different functions and disciplines, work with different scenarios, and develop a system capable of adapting quickly without losing competitiveness.
3. Involve the customer in operational decisions
Customer experience does not depend solely on marketing or sales. Product availability, delivery times, quality, personalization, and after-sales service are also the result of operational decisions.
This is why customer-centric operations are becoming increasingly important, connecting market needs with process design and value chain management.
4. Combine operational excellence and innovation
Lean Management and continuous improvement remain essential for identifying waste, reducing inefficiencies, and refining processes. But operational excellence is no longer simply about improving what already exists.
The new kind of Operations Director must combine that discipline with the ability to experiment, challenge established models, and explore new solutions. Optimization and innovation are no longer alternatives, but complementary capabilities.
AI and digital transformation: from adopting technology to creating value
Artificial intelligence is accelerating the evolution of operations. Its applications include demand forecasting, planning, predictive maintenance, logistics optimization, quality control, automation, and decision support.
However, adopting technology does not necessarily mean transforming operations.
According to PwC’s Digital Trends in Operations Survey 2026, conducted among 767 operations and supply chain leaders at US companies, 89% say their technology investments have not yet fully delivered the expected results. In addition, 87% say insufficient data quality has made it harder to derive value from digital initiatives.
These figures are particularly significant: the challenge is not simply adopting new tools, but integrating them into processes, data, and management models capable of generating measurable results.
The COO’s challenge: turning AI investment into real results
McKinsey points in the same direction. To derive value from AI, organizations need to move beyond isolated pilots and use cases and rethink processes and workflows from end to end. For the COO, this means prioritizing the areas where technology can create the most value and designing solutions from the outset with the ability to scale.
Implementation also requires creating the right organizational conditions. McKinsey notes that defining the operating model, data governance, and change management is key to enabling Operations leaders to turn AI investments into real results.
As we discuss in this Beyond article, this evolution is part of a digital transformation in companies that goes far beyond adopting new tools.
The skills of today’s Operations Director
- Strategic and systemic thinking: understanding how an operational decision affects customers, finances, talent, or competitiveness.
- Analytical ability and technological judgment: interpreting data, evaluating technologies, and determining where they can create value.
- Results orientation: connecting operational indicators with business objectives.
- Cross-functional leadership: coordinating functions with different priorities and influencing beyond one’s own organizational structure.
- Change management: transforming processes also means transforming ways of working.
- Decision-making under uncertainty: anticipating risks and adapting priorities as circumstances change.
The “enterprise orchestrator”
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) describes this evolution by referring to the COO in the age of AI as an “enterprise orchestrator”: a leader capable of coordinating technology, processes, people, and decisions across the organization.
In this context, transformational leadership also becomes particularly important: driving change requires creating a shared vision and ensuring that new strategies and technologies translate into new ways of working.
How to prepare to lead the new Operations function
Developing these skills requires going beyond technical knowledge and broadening your view of the business as a whole. Specialized education such as Esade’s Spanish-language Executive Master en Estrategia de Operaciones e Innovación provides an integrated perspective that connects management and leadership with operational strategy, innovation, AI, and digital transformation.
Designed for experienced professionals and executives, the program provides the knowledge and skills needed to lead the Operations function and make it a driver of business competitiveness and innovation.
Frequently asked questions
What does an Operations Director do in a company?
The primary responsibility of the Operations Director is to translate strategy into concrete operational decisions: which processes to redesign, where to invest, which technologies to adopt, how to reorganize teams, how to adjust available resources, or how to design and manage the supply chain. They are also responsible for balancing supply and demand, adapting the organization’s ability to respond to changing conditions, and identifying what needs to be adjusted for the organization to remain competitive.
How has the role of the COO evolved?
The COO has moved from focusing primarily on efficiency and operational control to taking on a more strategic role. Today, they must connect operations and business, drive innovation and digital transformation, integrate new technologies, and lead changes that affect the organization as a whole.
What are the main skills of an Operations Director?
In addition to technical knowledge and operational management, key skills include strategic and systemic thinking, analytical ability and technological judgment, results orientation, cross-functional leadership, change management, and the ability to make decisions in complex and uncertain environments.
How is AI changing the work of the Operations Director?
AI is expanding the possibilities for forecasting, planning, automation, maintenance, and decision-making. The challenge for the COO is not simply to adopt new tools, but to identify where they can create value, redesign processes, and create the conditions needed to scale results.
Take the next step in Operations leadership. Discover Esade’s Spanish-language Executive Master en Estrategia de Operaciones e Innovación and prepare to lead with a more strategic, innovative, and technology-driven perspective.
