How to Hire a Director of Operations: What SMBs Get Wrong (and Right)

The Director of Operations role is one of the most consequential hires a small or mid-sized business can make. It's also one of the most commonly mishandled.

Most companies wait too long to make this hire, define the role too broadly, or hire for the wrong version of "operations" given where the business actually is.

What SMBs get wrong:

Hiring for where you want to be, not where you are.

A 50-person company doesn't need a COO from a 500-person company. They need someone who can build process from scratch, operate in ambiguity, and do some things themselves. Bringing in an executive who's used to delegation and infrastructure often ends badly — they're frustrated, you're frustrated, and the role fails within a year.

Writing a job description that covers three jobs.

"You'll own supply chain, manage vendor relationships, lead the customer success team, handle HR escalations, and drive our ERP implementation." That's not a Director of Operations. That's four people. Get clear on the actual priorities and hire for those.

Underweighting cultural fit.

Operations leaders touch almost every part of the business. If they rub people the wrong way, can't earn trust quickly, or don't fit the communication style of your leadership team, it creates friction everywhere. Hard skills matter — but so does how they show up.

What SMBs get right (when they do):

The companies that hire great ops leaders start by answering one question clearly: *what's the biggest operational problem this person needs to solve in their first 12 months?* They hire for that problem specifically. They assess candidates on real scenarios, not hypothetical ones. And they involve the people who will work most closely with this person in the evaluation.

The Director of Operations hire is a forcing function. It either scales your business or stalls it. Get clear on what you need before you start the search.