What an Operations Growth Manager at Happy Returns wishes they had known before entering the Operations industry
Makai, a Operations Growth & Strategy Manager, learned that the role is "one step removed" from daily operations, focusing instead on future growth and capacity increases. This involves acting as a "middleman," collaborating with various teams—operations, third-party vendors, and internal software—to support operations without directly managing day-to-day tasks.
Operations Management, Strategic Planning, Project Management, Cross-functional Collaboration, Vendor Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Makai Cartman
Operations Growth & Strategy Manager
Happy Returns by PayPal
MIT 2015
UCLA Anderson MBA
Engineering - Mechanical
Technology, Transit, Transportation, Warehousing & Storage
Operations and Project Management
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. The role involves strategic thinking about future growth and increasing operational efficiency, rather than direct day-to-day management.
2. It requires working across different teams (operations, third-party vendors, internal software teams) as a 'middleman', relaying information and coordinating efforts.
3. A strong understanding of operations is necessary, but the role focuses on a higher-level, more strategic perspective, working 'one step removed' from direct operational tasks.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you started?
My role definitely falls within operations. However, I'd say it's one step removed.
A lot of my work isn't day-to-day managing people or overseeing warehouse returns. Instead, I focus on the future, thinking about company growth and how we can increase capacity efficiently.
Because of this, I'm a bit hands-off in some ways. I'm well-versed in our operations, but I look at it from a step back.
In some ways, I act as a middleman. I speak with operations to understand what they're doing. Then I relay that information to a third-party vendor for equipment purchases.
Alternatively, I might take that information back to our internal software team for product releases. I work in the background across different teams, supporting daily operations without being directly in them.