Area Manager Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of an area manager. Feel free to use our area manager job description template to produce your own area manager job description. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as an area manager.
Who is an Area Manager?
An area manager oversees operations in multiple locations within the same area. This manager is responsible for managing individual stores, warehouses, and other facilities. They usually work under the direction of senior executives.
Sometimes, the area manager may also be responsible for overseeing one facility and act as the manager of the day-to-day activities. Management duties of the manager include training and recruiting of staff.
The area manager inspects the facility on-site to ensure it is running properly. Unscheduled visits are possible to observe how people work, even if they don’t expect it. Managers may request to inspect records and observe employees as they work on the floor. They can identify violations of company policy such as people who don’t adhere to the dress code or improperly secured cash registers. They can also meet with the store manager or other senior staff members to discuss and resolve any issue on ground.
An area manager may also have to be concerned about individual profits. They are expected to properly place and manage products in stores for maximum sales. This could include creating marketing plans and other programs that increase customer interest, as well as developing strategic sales plans. Area managers may collaborate with other managers to develop promotions and workshops. This will ensure consistency throughout the chain of stores and help them come up with ideas for customer service and sales improvement.
An area manager may be requested to provide periodic reports by higher-ups on the management chain. These reports can include financial reports on each store, discussions about staffing and issues, as well as marketing strategies. Managers in the area may need to attend conferences, training sessions for new procedures, retreats, or other events. You can also subscribe to industry publications or take part in training programs.
The most popular types of area managers’ jobs are those in retail, sales, and the restaurant business. Area managers in sales are responsible for recruiting, training, and ensuring that the team’s sales goals are met. Manager jobs in the retail sector often involve overseeing multiple stores and interacting with local managers and employees.
Sales area managers can also help keep employees motivated and train new employees. Managers may coordinate motivational activities or contests. These managers may also be responsible to help employees achieve or exceed their sales goals. A sales manager may also be responsible for budgeting, employee promotion, solving inter-office disputes, and maintaining customer satisfaction.
Many retail area managers are involved in the training and recruiting of staff. They also work closely with local management to solve problems and keep the store running smoothly. A retail manager often coordinates deliveries to their stores, as well as the transfer of merchandise from one store to the next. This could happen if a store has an excess of an item that another shop needs. This type of job requires interaction with customers, budgeting, and promotions.
A restaurant area manager is someone who oversees multiple restaurants within a single area. This position is common in the hierarchy of employees at franchise restaurants. The restaurant manager ensures that every restaurant adheres to the rules set out in the franchise agreement. A restaurant manager is also tasked with the responsibility of training and coordinating staff. They may also ensure that every restaurant is supplied with food and adhere to safety and sanitation regulations. A manager in the food industry might also be required to deal with suppliers of food and cooking equipment, as well as adjust to the company’s budget as needed.
Area Manager Job Description
Below are the area manager job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write an area manager job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of an area manager include the following:
- Creating a safe and positive environment for employees.
- Delivering quality and timely services to ensure customer satisfaction
- Establishing strong working relationships with potential clients to create new business opportunities in the assigned area.
- Analyzing capital budget and expenses to find cost-effectiveness opportunities and profitability,
- Creating business plans for optimal time and resource use
- Assisting, interviewing, training, and recruiting staff.
- Conducting market research to analyze consumer behavior, trends, and competitor activity.
- Regular meetings should be arranged with management for business updates, problems, and opportunities.
- Training staff on brand promotion, customer service, and daily responsibilities.
- Assessing employee performance and creating individual development plans.
- Assessing current business processes and making recommendations for improvements.
- Addressing customer queries and issues in a timely and accurate manner.
- Assessing existing operations and creating appropriate strategies.
- Establishing and implementing performance standards in all stores
- Ensuring that employees follow company policies.
- Collaborating with other area managers is essential to ensure consistency across operations.
- informing your manager about progress and pitfalls.
- Offering staff training and development opportunities
- Ensuring that company quality is consistent in all areas of responsibility
- Maximizing the region’s sales and profit margins
- Setting sales targets for each store location
Qualifications
You may need to combine the following to become an area manager:
Education
A bachelor’s degree is usually required for an area manager. This can be in any business, marketing, or finance-related field. A degree in one of these areas will introduce an area manager to the fundamentals of corporate business and the responsibilities that come with being an executive.
Training
Area managers are typically promoted from lower-level managerial positions to earn their position. An area manager can learn the differences between daily operations management and upper management by working closely with upper managers while being a store manager.
Certification
To be appointed as an area manager, you do not need any certifications. Area managers can obtain certifications to improve their earning potential or be more competitive in their management careers.
Most retail managers of all levels are interested in the Retail Management Certificate (RMC). The RMC is an accredited business program that can take less than a year to complete. It provides area managers with new strategies, perspectives, and tools to help them improve their retail sector position. As a step towards becoming an area manager, many store managers and department managers get their RMC.
Essential Skills
- Charisma
Area managers are often on the road visiting individual stores and meeting with staff, management and customers. The area manager must inspire the staff at each location with confidence and comfort. A good area manager should be able to communicate openly with staff and store management about their successes and challenges.
- Problem-solving
An area manager may face many challenges in their local management region. These problems can be small or large and may affect one department in a particular location or a whole region. A strong problem-solving skill will allow an area manager to collaborate with staff and management to solve these complex problems.
- Computer literacy
The area manager should be able to use the retail management software of their store to process shipping orders and receives, manage employee schedules, adjust store inventory prices, and monitor the store’s progress towards its goals.
- Organizational skills
They must have a working knowledge about the staff, management, goals, and challenges at each store in their area. An area manager can use organizational skills to keep track of all of this information without any confusion.
- Management Skills
Your team is the first skill. Although your team is made up of great people, they can also get stressed out and have a lot to accomplish. You have to manage conflicts and demotivation. What should you do?
You must be able to manage your people with emotional intelligence. Your people management skills must be adaptable to different situations, people, and environments. It also involves giving feedback, understanding the values, and understanding each member of your team. You need to be able to provide support for each member of your team with a wide range of skills. Although managing people can be difficult, it is possible with the right tools.
- Influencing Skills
Although you may not always be in control of all processes and people, you still need to achieve your goals.
To implement your strategy, you will need to collaborate with many people in the company. You need to be open to collaboration and get buy-in for your goals. You may also be facing internal politics or people who are preventing you from moving forward.
It is important to influence your coworkers positively, get them to support your goals, and help you implement your strategy. You have to work hard at influencing others and maximizing your impact.
- Communication skills
Area managers must communicate with everyone in their region. Communicate with senior management by making presentations, then to your peers.
People need to be able to listen to you, remember your goals, and take action on the information you give them. You must do this with tact and diplomacy.
- Negotiation skills
Area managers need to have negotiation skills. Negotiating with clients, suppliers, and colleagues is a key part of every area manager’s job. This is something you cannot ignore.
It is important to know how to create different strategies by using the best practices of negotiation. It is important to be able to recognize when it is time to negotiate and when it is time to stop.
- Project Management Skills
Every manager today has to manage projects. The projects can be client-focused, internal processes, or cross-departmental.
No matter what project you are working on, it is important to understand how to plan, structure, and execute your projects. To ensure that your project is completed on time and within budget, you need to be able to identify all costs and establish milestones.
- Leadership skills
You are now a “great area manager”, and it is time for you to think about how you can be a great leader.
First, you must understand the differences between leadership and management. Next, you will need to practice many new leadership skills that will take you to the next level. These include: how to approach the first day of leadership, the week before it, and the year after it, emotional intelligence, leading with emotion, and creating your voice as a leader.
How to Become an Area Manager
- Get a diploma from high school or the equivalent.
A bachelor’s degree is required to become an area manager. This means you will need to have a high school diploma. The General Education Development test (GED), which is open to all, can be taken by those who do not have a high-school diploma to earn a credential that is equivalent to a high-school degree.
- You can spend time in retail.
Consider a retail entry-level job while you are still at high school or university. You can start your retail career while still completing your education. This will give you valuable experience and help you get started in your professional life.
- Earn a business degree.
A business degree can also be required to become an area manager. This can be in marketing, finance, or any other business-related field. A degree in any of these areas will prepare you for upper management responsibilities and provide you with a solid understanding of basic business and sales principles. You may also wish to earn RMC certification during this time to make the transition to an upper management position more straightforward.
- You can become a store manager.
You may be able to move up in your store’s management ranks after you have completed your education. This position can give you management experience, and demonstrate your ability to generate sales and solve problems.
- Promote to an area manager position
If you have the chance to meet with upper management, let them know your interest in advancing to area management.
Where to Work
Area managers work in corporate or regional offices of businesses and stores in many industries. A manager for an area may travel up to 75% of the time between different locations in their region. This is done to increase sales, train managers, and resolve any problems that might arise. When an area manager isn’t traveling, they will usually be at their office analyzing sales data and performing reports for their store. They will also need to maintain regional budgets.
Area managers work full-time and are often able to work flexible hours when they’re at work. However, because of the wide range of responsibilities they have and the frequent travel they do, they often work over 40 hours per week to complete all their tasks.
Area Manager Salary Scale
An area manager is almost always paid an annual salary, rather than an hourly wage. This can vary depending on their prior experience, what they are managing, and what company they work for.
The average salary that an area manager in the United States earn is $61,381 per annum
