LIFT Enrichment · Client Story
Hire an Operations Manager From $2,500/Month
Operations Manager · Placed by HireUA in 2022
Eric was stuck in every part of LIFT Enrichment: recruiting, admin, account management, operations. In 2022 HireUA placed his Operations Manager. In Eric’s words, LIFT has since gone from $1.3M to $10.2M in 19 months, and from 40 to 290 instructors.
“I can be on the other side of the world in Dubai, and I was for three weeks, and she did absolutely everything with a huge amount of success.”
Eric · Founder, LIFT Enrichment
Two More HireUA Hires · Project Managers
Less Work Landing on the Founder’s Desk.
Two different businesses. Both hires took ownership of the work instead of waiting for instructions.
Bramar Strategic Services
$50K
Estimated annual savings
A Project Manager who outpaces the founder.
Brad Smith’s first overseas hire was Mira, his Project Manager. She runs client calls, Jira, Confluence and weekly status reports, and researches what she doesn’t know before anyone asks, giving Brad an estimated 15–18 hours a week back. “Her work ethic is better than anyone else on my team’s — barring myself.”
Skyro Digital
10/10
Max’s word for his hire
A hire Max didn’t know he needed.
Max came to HireUA asking for a copywriter. We recommended a Project Manager with a marketing background instead. Anastasia picked up Klaviyo on the job and now owns much of client delivery. In Max’s words, she became a “ten out of ten, perfect employee.”
The Actual Problem
You Don’t Need Another Manager. You Need Someone Who Runs Things.
The goal isn’t to hire somebody who looks busy. It’s to make the business run without you in the middle of everything.
The Wrong Hire
Another Person You Have to Manage.
- You delegate a project. They come back with questions.
- You answer them. They schedule a meeting. You attend it.
- Three weeks later, you’re still driving the work.
- Brief → Questions → Meetings → Back to you
The Right Hire
Someone Who Just Gets It Done.
- They understand what you’re trying to accomplish and ask the important questions.
- They make a plan and execute it.
- You hear about problems with options attached, not as a new item on your list.
- Brief → Judgment → Execution → Done
What Good Actually Looks Like
Give Them an Outcome. Not a Manual.
Here’s what I ask an Operations Manager to do at HireUA. Not a 19-page brief. Not step-by-step instructions. I explain what needs to be different when they’re done.
BRIEF 01
“Organize our onboarding.”
Make it simple. Make sure nothing gets missed. Our Operations Manager built an onboarding hub: what to do each day, what to read, which meetings to attend, what success looks like.
BRIEF 02
“Build a tracking hub.”
For cold email campaigns: results, summaries, and a decision on what to do next. One place to look, not five.
BRIEF 03
“Our processes are everywhere.”
Organize them, remove the useless stuff, and make the system usable. Then keep it that way.
How We Think About Hiring
The Resume Says “Operations Manager.” Can They Actually Operate?
Anyone can put “process improvement” and “cross-functional leadership” on a resume. We look for the person who can tell you exactly what they fixed, how they fixed it, and what changed afterward.
“When’s the last time someone gave you a genuinely vague brief? Walk me through what you did.”
One question worth asking. Listen for decisions, tradeoffs, initiative and the result, not how many meetings they scheduled.
The Actual Job
What a Great Operations Manager Owns.
The title is meaningless without clear ownership. These are the areas where a good operator gets the founder out of the middle.
01 / PEOPLE
Accountability.
Clear expectations, follow-through, and tough conversations that don’t always have to reach the founder.
02 / PROCESSES
Simplification.
Find the extra steps. Kill the pointless handoffs. Make work easier to repeat, not harder to understand.
03 / SYSTEMS
Visibility.
One place to find the right information, see what’s happening, and know what comes next.
04 / DELIVERY
Follow-Through.
Move projects to completion, solve exceptions, and close loops before they become the founder’s problem.
Don’t Hire the Wrong Title
Maybe You Don’t Need an Operations Manager.
Founders sometimes ask for one role when the business needs another. Max asked for a copywriter and needed a Project Manager. That’s why we start with what’s actually broken.
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Protect Your Time.
Calendar, inbox, logistics, executive follow-through, and some lighter project coordination.
PROJECT MANAGER
Move the Project.
Defined deliverables, timelines, handoffs, and getting a specific body of work shipped.
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Run the Machine.
People, recurring processes, accountability, systems, and the day-to-day operating rhythm of the business.
The Economics
What Should You Pay an Operations Manager?
You don’t need to pay US executive compensation to find a capable operator. You do need to pay for judgment, ownership, communication and real management ability.
Global Operations Manager
$2,500–$3,500
per month, full-time · paid to your hire
What moves the number
- Scope: running people and processes costs more than coordinating tasks
- Seniority and management experience
- Time-zone overlap with your team and clients
- Market: Eastern Europe and Latin America price differently by role
Where We’d Look
Role First. Market Second.
An Operations Manager needs to work when your people work. Overlap and communication matter more here than for an individual contributor.
01 / EASTERN EUROPE
Strong Operators. Direct Communication.
A compelling market when you need structured thinking, process ownership, and overlap with European or US East Coast hours. LIFT’s Operations Manager, Bramar’s Project Manager and Skyro’s Project Manager were all hired here.
- Ukraine
- Serbia
- Bulgaria
- Romania
- Poland
- + more
02 / LATIN AMERICA
Same-Day Collaboration.
Often the natural starting point when an Operations Manager works closely with US-based staff, clients and leaders throughout the day.
- Colombia
- Mexico
- Argentina
- Brazil
- + more
HireUA recruits across 40+ countries. See all regions →
The HireUA Process
Tell Us What’s Broken. We’ll Help Define the Hire.
Candidates are presented within 5 days of kickoff.
01
Define the Seat
What’s stuck? What should this person own? What stops landing on your desk?
02
Choose the Market
Match time zone, communication needs, scope and pay to the role.
03
Source & Screen
We look past impressive titles and push for evidence of ownership and execution.
04
Interview & Hire
Meet the shortlist within 5 days of kickoff. Choose the person you trust to run with the work.
Stop Being the Bottleneck
Tell Us What You Need Off Your Plate. We’ll Tell You Who to Hire.
Operations Manager? Project Manager? Something else? Start with the problem and we’ll find the right person to own it.
Good Questions
Operations Manager FAQs.
How do I know if I need an Operations Manager?
If you’re personally resolving recurring people, process and delivery issues, and the team can’t keep moving without your decisions, an Operations Manager may be the right hire. If the problem is narrower, you may need an EA or a Project Manager instead.
Can they work US hours?
Yes, depending on the candidate and market. We make schedule overlap part of the brief from the start, especially for client-facing or people-management roles.
How quickly can I meet candidates?
Candidates are presented within 5 days of kickoff. How fast you hire after that depends on your interviews and the candidate’s notice period.
What does it cost to hire?
The Operations Manager’s own pay typically lands between $2,500 and $3,500 a month, depending on scope and seniority.
What if I don’t know exactly what to delegate?
That’s a useful starting point. We’ll talk through the bottlenecks and work out whether you need someone to run recurring operations, manage projects, or support you directly.
Related Guides
Guides for Hiring an Operations Manager
How to Hire an Operations Manager — The Hard Lessons From 1,100+ Placements
How to hire an Operations Manager — from A to Z. Includes the W5 Framework, costs, and what $1.3M to $10.2M in 19 months…
How to Hire a Project Manager — What 1,100+ Placements Taught Us About Who Actually Ships
How to hire a Project Manager: real pricing ($2,500–$3,500/mo for a mid-level hire), screening methods, the hands-dirty test, and stories from 1,100+ placements.
How to Delegate Tasks: You Have a People Problem, Not a Delegation Problem
Every guide on how to delegate tasks sells you a better throw. Four billionaires disagree on method and agree on one thing: the person.
Your Unfair Advantage
Hire Someone Who Makes the Business Run Without You.
Not another meeting attendee. Not another problem narrator. A real operator who turns decisions into action.