What Is the Average Sales Operations Specialist Salary?

As a sales operations specialist, you will help provide the tools and data that sales departments need to execute sales strategies. Ultimately, your goal is to ensure your employer's sales operations are efficient and effective. The job has a positive outlook for the future, and the more education and experience you have, the more you can earn. 

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.

What is a sales operations specialist?

A sales operations specialist supports sales activities within an organization, such as collecting sales data and providing sales forecasts. In this role, you will be responsible for customer service, and you may use customer relationship management (CRM) tools such as Salesforce. As a sales operations specialist, your primary objective will be optimizing the sales department's workflow to ultimately generate more sales. 

Sales operations specialist common responsibilities

Like any job, your tasks can vary depending on the needs of the company you work for. However, some of the day-to-day responsibilities you will likely face include: 

• Staying up to date on all current market trends 

• Helping management plan and coordinate general business operations

• Maintaining CRM tools 

• Preparing sales forecasts

• Setting sales quotas

• Participating in hiring and training new employees 

Average sales operations specialist salary

According to various career and salary aggregate websites, the average sales operations specialist salary 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]: 

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 various factors, such as where you live and your 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]:

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

1. Washington: $122,568

2. New Jersey: $112,795

3. Connecticut: $109,448

4. Maine: $108,392

5. Minnesota: $107,423

Lowest-paying states

1. Tennessee: $56,062

2. West Virginia: $54,778

3. Florida: $52,554

4. Mississippi: $48,692

5. Hawaii: $47,750

Highest-paying cities

1. Seattle, WA: $124,922

2. Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ: $113,295

3. Portland, ME: $109,374

4. San Francisco, CA: $107,987

5. Maple Grove, MN: $107,698

6. Boston, MA: $98,793

7. Albany, NY: $90,830

8. Aloha, OR: $89,780

9. Phoenix, AZ: $82,150

10. 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.  

Read more: Sales Manager Career Guide: Duties, Pay + How to Become One

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 be the point of contact for customers, helping them resolve issues and fill orders. You must also establish relationships with other business professionals, such as finance and logistics, to accurately service customer needs. 

Read more: What Is Sales Management: Definition, Scope, Objectives, Careers

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 on top of industry trends. 

Read more: What Does a Product Manager Do? And How to Become One

Boost your sales operations specialist salary with in-demand skills on Coursera.

As a sales operations specialist, you'll help optimize your organization's sales department's workflow, stay on top of current market trends, help train new employees, and help set sales quotas. Factors like education, experience, skills, and geographic location can impact your salary in this role.   

Continue learning and building your skill set to support a thriving career with promising earning potential on Coursera. 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. Upon completion, you will gain a shareable certification to include in your resume, CV, or LinkedIn profile.