One recent operations manager post for coaching and info-product offers listed client delivery, launches, funnels and campaigns in one role. That is three jobs.
The version below is the one we would hire for in a coaching back end. It covers everything after the sale that is not coaching and not client results directly. Pay is left out on purpose; it depends on the country and the scope.
What does an operations manager do in a coaching business?
Keeps the systems that deliver the program working, so the client success team and the coaches can work with clients. When a Calendly link breaks, a Stripe payment does not reach the board, or an SOP is out of date, it is theirs.
In a smaller business the founder does this job by default, in the gaps between calls. That is why tools break quietly and SOPs go stale. Nobody owns them.
- Own the client management board in Monday.com: columns, stages, views and who updates what.
- Own the SOP library: every SOP has an owner and a date, and stale ones get fixed.
- Run the tools: Skool, Stripe, Calendly, Loom, Trustpilot and chat on WhatsApp or Telegram.
- Build and document automations after the sale, so none depends on one person's memory.
- Keep onboarding fast: every new client booked into a 15-minute onboarding call quickly.
- Prepare the weekly review numbers and send the founder a Loom update.
- Set up access for new team members and remove it the day someone leaves.
How is it different from a COO or a head of client success?
By what each one is measured on. The three roles often sit in one person in a smaller business, then split as it grows.
| Role | Owns | Measured on |
|---|---|---|
| Operations manager | Board, SOPs, tools, automations, onboarding speed | Systems run without the founder; board accurate; SOPs current |
| Head of client success | Client success managers, check-ins, overdue clients, proof | Client success rate, on-track rate, proof from winners |
| COO | The whole back end, the team, the next offers, the founder's time | Results, retention and resells; founder out of delivery |
What should the job post say?
Who the clients are, what the role owns, what it does not own, and how to apply. Copy and fill in the brackets.
- About us: [program name] helps [who] get [defined result]. We have [number] active clients.
- The role: you own the systems after the sale. Board, SOPs, tools, automations and onboarding speed.
- Not in the role: coaching clients, sales calls, ads or content.
- You will work with: the client success team, the coaches and the founder, mostly by Loom and Slack.
- First month: learn the program, the board and every SOP. No KPIs yet.
- After that: the board is accurate, every SOP is current, and the founder hears about problems from you first.
- To apply: send a Loom of up to five minutes about yourself and one process you built. No Loom, no interview.
I hire very few people and take a long time. There is no meeting until they send a Loom of themselves. Out of about 30 Looms I meet one or two. Be very clear about what you are looking for; most companies hire first and figure it out later.
How do you screen an operations manager?
The Loom does most of it. Watch for calm, confidence and clear communication, and for whether they explain a process simply. Working for a big offer means nothing on its own.
In the interview, ask them to walk through one system they built and what broke first. Then give a situation: a new client paid, but never received the onboarding link. Ask what they check, in what order. A good answer starts with the client, then the tool.
Check references on one thing: what broke while they were there, and what they did next. Anyone can describe a system that worked.
Watch out. Do not hire an operations manager to buy software. Some coaches spend tremendous money on complex software inside fulfillment. The job is to keep a couple of tools running well, not to add more.
Diego Miescher
