Interview Questions

Director of Operations Interview Questions


A Director of Operations is responsible for overseeing and managing company's or organisation's day-to-day operations necessary for business success and growth. In most cases, they are under direction and management of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs).

Whether you're a job seeker preparing to be interviewed for the role of Director of Operations or an employer preparing to interview candidates for Director of Operations position, these Director of Operations interview questions will help you prepare yourself for the job interview session.

Director of Operations Interview Questions

Below are a list of some skill-based Director of Operations interview questions.

  1. Can you provide an example of how you increased operational efficiency in your last job? As the Director of Operations, how would you increase the efficiency of our own operations?
  2. We want to improve our customer service. What ideas do you have to help us do that?
  3. What do you think is the most important aspect of operations management?
  4. Have you ever dealt with an insubordinate employee?
  5. Have you ever had to fire an employee? How did you handle it?
  6. What is your strategy for dealing with difficult clients, and how has it been successful?
  7. What would you do if we experienced a sudden increase in demand that put extreme stress on our operational capacity?
  8. As the Director of Operations, what steps would you take to sustain business operations if one of your major suppliers went out of business on short-notice?
  9. What is your strategy for keeping the services provided by your team up-to-date and consistent?
  10. Are you comfortable negotiating the terms of a contract with a potential business partner?
  11. What is the most effective approach to negotiating contracts with vendors?
  12. How do you handle conflict within the workplace?
  13. What strategies do you use to evaluate the efficiency of current operations and identify areas for improvement?
  14. How do you make decisions about which vendors or service providers to work with when you have multiple bids for your business?
  15. Can you provide an example of when you had to address low morale in the workplace?
  16. What are the main places that waste and inefficiency can happen in business operations?
  17. How do you maintain strong relationships with all department heads to facilitate communication throughout the organization?
  18. Tell us about a time when you introduced a new procedure or technology that most employees had to adopt.
  19. What would you do if two department heads both had an urgent operational need at the same time?
  20. Tell me about a time your team was trending over budget and describe what you did to rectify the situation.
  21. As the Director of Operations, how would you handle a disagreement with the CEO about how company operations should change in the upcoming fiscal year?
  22. What is your experience with managing large teams of employees?
  23. How would you describe the importance of operations for a company?
  24. Describe a time when something went wrong and how you took steps to resolve the issue.
  25. How important is it for you that operations interacts with other departments and why?
  26. How important do you think company culture is? What would you do to make sure the culture remained equal parts positive and productive?
  27. Which software programs do you have experience with? Tell us about cost analysis, budgetary, operational or management tools you've used in previous positions.
  28. How comfortable are you with making presentations? Who have you had to present to before, on which topics and how did you prepare for each?

Director of Operations Interview Questions and Answers

Every interview is different and the questions may vary. However, there are lots of general questions that get asked at every interview.

Below are some common questions you'd expect during Director of Operations interviews. Click on each question to see how to answer them.

  1. Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
  2. Why Should We Hire You?
  3. What is Your Salary Expectation?
  4. What is Your Greatest Weakness?
  5. Tell Me About Yourself
  6. What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?
  7. Are You a Leader or a Follower?
  8. Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?
  9. Why Do You Want This Job?
  10. What is Your Greatest Strength?