Operations Manager
$105KHigh match
High demand
Skills to develop
- — Project Management Professional (PMP) certification
- — Lean Six Sigma certification
Live · Guide v1.0EQ · Career GuideValidated · Lightcast Labor DataUpdated · Q2 20262026 Cohort Active
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NAVY · EQCareer Guide · Operations · VWC.CG.EQ.R.04
EQ · NAVY · Enlisted
Equipmentman.
Navy EQ (Equipmentman). 480 hours of formal training translate to 5 validated civilian career pathways with salary bands of $78K–$105K. Sourced from DoD training data and Lightcast labor signals.
Training hours480DoD pipeline
ACE creditACEUp to 9 semester hours recommended in logistics management, supply chain management, or business administration
Tech roles4mapped to your code
Civilian pathways5validated
Cert coverage2/5direct + partial
/ 01 · Tech Roles
Roles your code maps to.
Industry tech roles your EQ background maps to — picked from BLS-anchored occupations using your training, cognitive skills, and systems experience.
Sort · Match descending
/ 02 · Skill Bridge
The gap, named.
What EQ training already gave you, and the specific gaps to close — not a generic checklist.
Already have05
- 01Maintenance Management→ Configuration Management (Ansible, Chef, Puppet)
- 02Supply Chain Management, Inventory Control→ Data Analysis and Reporting
- 03Resource Allocation and Budgeting→ Cloud Resource Management (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- 04System Modeling→ Data Modeling
- 05Navy ERP, ATIS, MDS→ ERP Systems, Ticketing systems, CMMS
To learn12
The concrete gap to bridge — specific to the roles above, not a generic checklist.
+Linux Fundamentals+Cloud Computing Basics (AWS, Azure, or GCP)+Scripting (Python or Bash)+SQL and Data Warehousing Concepts+ETL Tools (e.g., Apache Kafka, Apache Spark)+Cloud Data Platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP data services)+Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) Methodologies+Requirements Elicitation and Analysis+Technical Documentation and Communication+Project Management Methodologies (Agile, Scrum)+Stakeholder Management and Communication+Technical Documentation and Reporting
How VWC fits
Vets Who Code is a free, full-time software engineering accelerator for veterans, active duty, and military spouses. We close the fundamentals — terminal, web platform, AI tooling, portfolio projects — so the rest of this list becomes specialization, not square one.
See VWC Programs →/ 03 · Civilian Pathways
Where your code lands.
Construction Manager
$98KGood match
Growing demand
Skills to develop
- — OSHA safety standards
- — Civil engineering principles
- — Blueprint reading
Logistics Manager
$85KGood match
High demand
Skills to develop
- — Supply chain management software (e.g., SAP)
- — APICS certification
Facilities Manager
$78KModerate match
Stable demand
Skills to develop
- — HVAC systems
- — Building maintenance
- — Vendor management
Project Manager
$92KGood match
Very high demand
Skills to develop
- — Agile methodologies
- — Scrum Master certification
/ 04 · Hidden Strengths
What the code built.
Cognitive skills your EQ training built — and where they transfer in civilian work.
Resource Optimization
As an E9, this role is entrusted to review personnel, equipment, and material requirements, demanding careful allocation and management of resources to maximize operational effectiveness within budgetary constraints.
Transfers to
The ability to efficiently allocate and manage resources, including personnel, budgets, and materials, to achieve organizational goals while minimizing waste and maximizing productivity.
Rapid Prioritization
Responding to evolving mission demands requires the ability to quickly assess situations, identify critical tasks, and prioritize actions to ensure the most pressing needs are addressed promptly and effectively.
Transfers to
The capacity to quickly evaluate competing demands, assess urgency and importance, and prioritize tasks to ensure efficient and effective execution of work in dynamic and high-pressure environments.
System Modeling
Senior leaders need to understand how different elements interact to forecast future requirements. This involves constructing mental models of equipment, supply chains, and personnel capabilities to anticipate challenges and plan proactively.
Transfers to
The ability to analyze and understand complex systems, identify interdependencies, and create models to predict behavior and optimize performance.
Situational Awareness
A senior enlisted leader must maintain constant awareness of the operational environment, potential threats, and the status of resources to make informed decisions and adapt to changing circumstances.
Transfers to
The ability to perceive and understand the surrounding environment, anticipate potential threats or opportunities, and make informed decisions based on a comprehensive understanding of the situation.
/ 05 · Non-Obvious Matches
Roles the recruiter won't suggest.
Adjacent civilian roles your training maps to that conventional military-to-civilian advice tends to miss.
Logistics Manager
SOC 11-3071.00You've been responsible for reviewing personnel, equipment, and material requirements and administration of a department. Your experience in planning and forecasting makes you an ideal candidate to manage logistics in any company. You’re skilled at resource optimization and system modeling, essential for efficient supply chain management.
Adjacent · MatchProject Manager
SOC 11-9151.00Your experience in forecasting requirements, planning, organizing, and implementing actions directly translates to project management. You’ve been trained to establish goals, prioritize tasks, and control work activities, all vital to a project's success. Your rapid prioritization skills are invaluable in keeping projects on track.
Adjacent · MatchBusiness Consultant
SOC 13-1111.00You're adept at reviewing requirements and planning actions, enabling you to analyze a business's needs and develop strategies for improvement. Your skills in system modeling and situational awareness will provide insightful, actionable recommendations.
Adjacent · Match/ 06 · Training & Certs
What you trained on.
Academy
A School
Naval Station Great Lakes480hHours
12wkWeeks
ACECredit
Up to 9 semester hours recommended in logistics management, supply chain management, or business administration
Topics · 7
- Maintenance Management
- Supply Chain Management
- Inventory Control Procedures
- Logistics Planning
- Resource Allocation
- Budgeting and Financial Management
- Departmental Administration
Partial coverage · 2
- Project Management Professional (PMP)60%
Formal project management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall), risk management, and stakeholder management techniques are areas to study.
- Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM)50%
Focus on formal supply chain concepts, contract negotiation, and supplier relationship management to fill in the gaps.
Recommended next · 03
- Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM)Adjacent
- Lean Six Sigma Black BeltAdjacent
- Certified Facilities Manager (CFM)Adjacent
/ 07 · Systems Translation
What you ran, in their words.
Military systems you operated and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent | Domain |
|---|---|---|
| Navy Enterprise Resource Planning (Navy ERP) | SAP S/4HANA or Oracle ERP Cloud | Operations |
| Advanced Technical Information Support (ATIS) | Technical documentation and support platforms (e.g., Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud) | Operations |
| Naval Logistics Library (NLL) | Cloud-based document management systems (e.g., SharePoint, Google Workspace) | Operations |
| Maintenance Data System (MDS) | Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) (e.g., IBM Maximo, Infor EAM) | Operations |
| Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) systems | Predictive maintenance software and IoT sensor platforms (e.g., GE Digital, Siemens MindSphere) | Operations |
| Automated Shore Interface (ASI) | Web-based data entry and management systems, database management (SQL) | Operations |
/ Translator · Live
Translate EQ into a resume that ships.
Pair this guide with the VWC AI-powered translator: drop in your service record, get back ATS-optimized civilian resume language tuned to the tech roles above.