Operations Manager Jobs in Chicago, IL
Operations managers in the Chicago metro earn a median of about $109,390 a year, and the region's distribution, food service and fulfillment networks from Des Plaines to Joliet keep hiring them. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring and what the job pays.
Current operations manager Openings in Chicago, IL
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Operations Manager Work in Chicago
Chicago is a freight town, and that shapes operations management here. Six of the seven Class I railroads converge on the region, O'Hare and Midway support hundreds of thousands of regional jobs, and transportation and material moving is one of the two largest occupational groups in the metro. That puts much of the work in distribution centers and fulfillment buildings along the Stevenson, the Kennedy and the Tri-State, in suburbs such as Des Plaines, Melrose Park, Markham and Joliet, and in the city's industrial corridors on the Southwest and West Sides.
Not every operations job is in a warehouse. Downtown insurers and fintech firms hire operations managers to run contact centers and contract processing, and newer companies run multi-site kitchens and field installation crews across Chicagoland. Under Illinois law, employers with 15 or more workers post pay ranges, so most Chicago operations ads show the salary up front.
Top Chicago Employers Hiring Operations Managers
These employers have posted operations leadership roles in the Chicago area on their own careers sites:
- Amazon - hires Area Managers to lead 50 to 100 associates at Illinois sites including Chicago, Melrose Park, Markham and Joliet.
- Sysco Chicago - the foodservice distributor's Des Plaines operation hires operations leaders over warehouse, fleet, facilities and transportation.
- CloudKitchens - hires a regional operations manager to run five to eight kitchen facilities across Chicago.
- Base Power - the energy company hires an operations manager to run its Chicagoland warehouse and installation crews.
- Health Care Service Corporation - the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois parent hires operations managers for contract administration in Chicago.
- Enova - the Chicago fintech company hires senior managers to run contact center operations on a hybrid schedule.
Operations Manager Salaries in Chicago
- Entry level: about $65,000 to $77,000 a year for area managers, operations supervisors and new graduates in leadership programs.
- Experienced: roughly $90,000 to $125,000 a year for operations managers running a building, a region or a department.
- Senior: $125,000 to $175,000 or more for senior managers and operations directors.
These are estimates based on federal wage data for the Chicago metro and ranges in local postings. Recent examples include $65,200 to $75,000 for an Amazon Area Manager, a $90,000 starting base for a CloudKitchens regional operations manager and $118,100 to $177,100 for an operations director at Sysco in Des Plaines. Building size, night and weekend coverage, a logistics or transportation specialty and bonus eligibility all move pay.
How to Become an Operations Manager in Chicago
Most operations manager jobs ask for a bachelor's degree in business, supply chain management or a related field plus several years of supervisory experience, though many managers in Chicago warehouses worked their way up from associate and lead. Amazon's Area Manager program hires recent graduates straight into first-line leadership. City Colleges of Chicago offers Supply Chain Management and Logistics certificates and an associate degree at Olive-Harvey College in Pullman, and DePaul's Driehaus College of Business in the Loop offers business degrees for those aiming at management. There is no Illinois state license for operations managers; process improvement credentials such as Lean or Six Sigma are employer preferences, not requirements.
What the Job Involves
Operations managers plan staffing and shifts, track productivity, safety and quality numbers, and fix whatever is slowing the operation down. In a distribution center that means inbound and outbound volume, labor hours and equipment; in an office it means service levels, backlogs and processing times. They hire, coach and discipline supervisors and frontline staff, manage a budget, and report results to senior leadership.
Skills Employers Look For
- Leading supervisors and large hourly teams
- Reading productivity, safety and quality metrics
- Budget and labor cost management
- Process improvement, including Lean methods
- Comfort with a warehouse or ERP system and Excel
- Willingness to cover nights, weekends and peak season
Career Path and Advancement
In Chicago logistics the ladder usually runs from warehouse associate or lead to supervisor or area manager, then operations manager over a shift or a building, then general manager or operations director over a site or region. Office operations follow a similar path from team lead to contact center or processing manager to senior manager and director at a downtown headquarters.
Related Careers in Chicago
If operations management interests you, these related Chicago roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a degree to be an operations manager in Chicago?
Many postings ask for a bachelor's degree, but warehouse and distribution employers often promote experienced leads and supervisors without one. A degree matters more for corporate and office operations roles downtown.
How much do operations managers make in Chicago?
The median for general and operations managers in the Chicago metro is about $109,390 a year. First-line area managers generally start around $65,000 to $77,000, and operations directors can earn $118,000 to $177,000.
Is there a license or certification for operations managers in Illinois?
No state license exists. Employers may prefer Lean or Six Sigma training or a supply chain credential, but those are preferences, not legal requirements.
Where are most operations manager jobs in the Chicago area?
Distribution and fulfillment jobs sit mostly in the suburbs and industrial corridors, including Des Plaines, Melrose Park, Markham and Joliet, while contact center and processing operations jobs are concentrated in the Loop.
What hours do operations managers work?
Warehouse and distribution roles often run 10 to 12 hour shifts with nights, weekends and holiday peaks. Office operations roles usually keep business hours, and many are hybrid with three days a week in the office.
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