What Is the Average Sales Operations Specialist Salary?
Discover how much a sales operations specialist can earn and how their salaries vary depending on factors such as location, education level, prior experience, skills, and certifications.
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Key Takeaways
As a sales operations specialist, you will help provide the tools and data that sales departments need to execute sales strategies. But how much can you earn in the role?
Although knowing the average salary can be helpful, it only tells part of the story. The exact amount you can expect to earn depends on several factors, including your location and experience level.
Your earning potential in sales operations will depend on variables such as your highest level of education, prior experience in related work, geographic location, the skills you develop, and any certifications you earn.
Having in-demand skills can impact your earning potential as a sales operations specialist.
Take a closer look at the sales operations specialist salary, including other factors influencing your earnings, to decide if this exciting and dynamic role is right for you. Are you ready to take the next step? Consider earning your Salesforce Sales Operations Professional Certificate on Coursera. In this four-course series, you’ll develop skills like marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, display advertising, and more.
Average sales operations specialist salary
According to various career and salary aggregation websites, the average salary for a sales operations specialist in the United States ranges from $60,012 to $76,900. Based on August 2024 data, the results are as follows [1, 2, 3, 4]:
| Glassdoor | Zippia | ZipRecruiter | Payscale |
|---|---|---|---|
| $65,645 | $76,900 | $61,243 | $60,012 |
Although knowing the average salary can be helpful, it only tells part of the story. The exact amount you can expect to earn depends on several factors, including your location and experience level.
Factors that can impact salary
Your earning potential in sales ops will depend on variables such as your highest level of education, your prior experience in related work, your geographic location, the skills you develop, and any certifications you earn. Discover how each factor influences the average salary of a sales operations specialist below.
Education
Employers typically require at least a bachelor's degree for sales operations specialists. According to Zippia, 65 percent of professionals in this role have a bachelor's, 14 percent hold an associate, and 7 percent have a master’s [5]. Typical areas of study in this field include business, marketing, communication, and psychology.
Zippia also offers insight into how salary estimates break down based on education level [5]:
High school diploma: $64,627
Associate degree: $67,249
Bachelor’s degree: $86,443
Master’s degree: $96,941
Experience
Your experience is another factor influencing your earning potential as a sales operations specialist. The following job sites provide further insight into how salaries vary based on experience. The average sales op specialist’s entry-level pay ranges from $49,087 to $61,507, while a senior-level professional can expect to earn between $65,129 and $126,582. The exact data breaks down as follows [1, 2, 4]:
| Glassdoor | Zippia | Payscale | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $60,600 | $61,507 | $49,087 |
| Mid career | $68,613 | $79,243 | $64,431 |
| Senior level | $81,950 | $126,582 | $65,129 |
Location
Where you live and work is another variable that determines how much you can earn as a sales operations specialist. For example, a sales operations specialist in the highest-paid state of Washington earns an average of $122,568, while in the lowest-paid state, Hawaii, sales operations specialists can expect to earn $47,750 [2]. Zippia offers data on the average income of sales operations specialists by state and city.
Highest-paying states
Washington: $122,568
New Jersey: $112,795
Connecticut: $109,448
Maine: $108,392
Minnesota: $107,423
Lowest-paying states
Tennessee: $56,062
West Virginia: $54,778
Florida: $52,554
Mississippi: $48,692
Hawaii: $47,750
Highest-paying cities
Seattle, WA: $124,922
Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ: $113,295
Portland, ME: $109,374
San Francisco, CA: $107,987
Maple Grove, MN: $107,698
Boston, MA: $98,793
Albany, NY: $90,830
Aloha, OR: $89,780
Phoenix, AZ: $82,150
Chicago, IL: $80,699
Skills
Having in-demand skills can impact your earning potential as a sales operations specialist. Explore some of the skills commonly found on sales ops specialist resumes and the percentage increase in salary having these skills could provide [4]:
SAP enterprise resource planning: 43 percent
Pricing: 33 percent
Training: 34 percent
SAP supply chain management: 6 percent
Operations management: 2 percent
Process improvement: 2 percent
Salesforce: 1 percent
Certifications
Another variable that can influence your earning potential is certifications that increase your skills and demonstrate your experience in a given area of study. Explore popular certifications for sales professionals, along with the average salary these credentials lead to, according to Payscale.
Certified Sales Professional (CSP): $69,000 [6]
Project Management Professional (PMP): $118,000 [7]
Certified Manager Certification (CM): $65,000 [8]
Job outlook and career path
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) offers insight into the job outlook for common career fields through the coming decade. Although BLS doesn’t specifically report on sales operations specialists, sales manager jobs are growing at a rate of 6 percent from 2023 to 2033 [9].
To gain experience before taking a sales operations specialist role, you may start your career as a sales associate or customer service representative. These and other entry-level sales positions can help you hone your sales skills or gain experience while completing your education. After working as a sales operations specialist, you may have enough experience for more advanced roles on the sales team, such as inside sales manager, sales account manager, or product manager.
1. Inside sales manager
Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $73,204 [10]
Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 6 percent [9]
Education requirements: The typical degree for an inside sales manager is a bachelor’s degree in business.
As an inside sales manager, you'll oversee the team that handles inside sales. You'll ensure they meet targets, set goals, and provide training and nurturing. You'll also analyze data and foster strong relationships with your customers. You may find yourself collaborating with other departments to optimize the sales process.
2. Sales account manager
Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $75,947 [11]
Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 6 percent [9]
Education requirements: The typical degree for a sales account manager is a bachelor’s degree, typically in business or marketing.
As a sales account manager, you will be responsible for building relationships with customers and establishing personal connections to provide excellent customer service. In this role, you will serve as the primary point of contact for customers, assisting them in resolving issues and fulfilling orders. You must also establish relationships with other business professionals, such as finance and logistics, to accurately service customer needs.
3. Product manager
Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $124,379 [12]
Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 8 percent [13]
Education requirements: The typical degree for a product manager is a bachelor’s degree, typically in business, marketing, or related fields.
As a product manager, you will oversee all aspects of a product’s launch and monitor and adapt the sales strategy after the product is on the market. In this role, you may have a hand in all aspects of product development, marketing strategy, branding, and more. You may also need to stay current with industry trends.
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Article sources
Glassdoor. “Salary: Sales Operations Specialist in the United States, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/sales-operations-specialist-salary-SRCH_KO0,27.htm.” Accessed January 1, 2025.
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