Operations management is one of the most fundamental business functions of any organisation. It is both art and science of managing people, processes and systems by streamlining activities such as procurement, manufacturing or conversion and distribution. It runs parallel to finance, marketing and other functions to ensure that everything in the company is running smoothly, effectively and efficiently. It also plays a crucial role in improving a company’s productivity and profitability.
In recent years, operations management has emerged as a strategic differentiator for organisations operating in e-commerce, retail, logistics, manufacturing, telecommunication, health care and hospitality sectors. The companies have realised that a robust operations management strategy can be highly instrumental in achieving economies of scale, reducing glitches in supply chain and expanding the business to new markets.
Hence, organisations are now seeking professionals in operations management to create high-impact value to their business. If you are aspiring to make a career in operations management, here are some job opportunities you can explore:
Product manager
Product managers have the complete ownership of the product, right from the time it goes on the drawing board for design to the time it is launched in the market for sale. They analyse the customer requirements, conduct market research on the feasibility and viability of the product, prepare the product lifecycle road map and work in close collaboration with cross-functional teams to develop the product.
Business leadership associate
Business leadership associates undertake a variety of responsibilities to drive the organisation towards operational and commercial performance, profitability and revenue growth. They work hand-in-hand with business heads or SMEs to develop strategies action plans, manage established accounts and evaluate work output in alignment with business target and budget. They also monitor market and competitor trends so that the organisation can respond to situations with agility.
Operations manager
The duties of operations managers may vary from one industry to another, but they largely revolve around overseeing the procurement, production and delivery of goods and services, and improving operational processes. The typical responsibilities include resource forecasting, planning and mobilisation, revenue leakage control, utilisation management, invoicing process implementation and improvement, setting up PMO and preventive maintenance through operational audit and risk management.
Enterprise service manager
Many organisations need enterprise service managers to manage projects of varying complexity. They are responsible for leading the project successfully from commencement to completion within stipulated timelines. They liaison with cross-functional departments, manage communication with different stakeholders, ensure compliance and quality standards, plan the project scope, allocate budget and resources, resolve conflicts and document everything.
Manufacturing manager
Some sectors like automobile, textiles, paper, steel and metal, cement, energy, furniture, food processing, chemicals, electronics, mechanical appliances etc., are solely focused on manufacturing as their core activity. They need dedicated manufacturing managers who can supervise production processes, machinery and people. The duties of manufacturing managers entail production schedule planning, implementation of quality control standards, efficient utilisation of resources, root-cause analysis, troubleshooting and problem-solving of any issue, reduction of costs, errors and defects, and ensuring safety of employees.
IT sourcing strategist
IT sourcing strategists manage activities related to the procurement of information technology goods and services. They plan and implement short-term and long-term IT policies of the organisations, and take complete ownership of it. They act as a communicator between the IT team (internal) and suppliers (external). They manage IT suppliers, undertake contract negotiations and renewals, build long-term relationships with suppliers and improve supplier performance. They benchmark productivity and quality of all suppliers, contracts and services associated with delivering services in all IT towers such as security, infrastructure, end-user services, network and applications.
Supply chain functional analyst
Most organisations are now looking at supply chains that are innovative, flexible, agile and scalable. This calls for analysing huge volumes of data to gain useful and actionable insights through data management and analytics. Supply chain functional analysts fit into this role aptly. They not only have functional knowledge of supply chain operations but possess expertise in analytics and technologies such as ERP, SAP/Ariba, JDA, Kinaxis, PLM etc. They do an in-depth analysis of the functional and technological supply chain needs of customers and provide solutions that meet their business goals.
Supplier risk manager
Supplier risk managers are responsible for evaluating, monitoring and mitigating supplier risks in accordance with the company’s internal policies and regulatory compliances. They assess every supplier for operational, information security and reputational risks before collaborations. They also recruit and train sourcing teams of different projects. Other duties of supplier risk managers include developing and maintaining workflow processes to establish robust data and system controls, and anticipate possible risks proactively.
The careers in operations management have a diverse scope and offer good opportunities for professional growth.
(The author is Director, Symbiosis Institute of Operations Management)