Operations Management

Career Profile (Salary, Job Titles, Grad School Data)

The Operations Management major develops concepts and skills for crafting innovative ways to deliver a firm's goods and services. A process management major typically combines a thoughtful, goal-oriented approach to projects with the business skills necessary to manage systems, people, ideas, and capital. Graduates might start as an operations or strategy consultant, a project manager, a supply chain analyst, or a quality management professional.

How is Operations Management Different from Supply Chain Management?: The major difference between supply chain management and operations management is that supply chain is mainly concerned with what happens outside the company – obtaining materials and delivering products – while operations management is concerned with what happens inside the company.

General Management

Professionals in this field oversee the day-to-day operations of goods, services, and employees. Managers are in charge of executing company goals. Most new hires will enter into a management training program that will last between 18-36 months.

Supply Chain Management

Procurement – The contracting of goods and services with an emphasis on supply source development/analysis, goal setting, bidding, negotiations, and ethical considerations.

Logistics – Responsible for performing market analysis of vendor competitiveness, support analysis for contract negotiation and review, tracking vendor performance, executing modal analysis, analyzing cost, risk, and service, analyzing transportation asset utilization and optimizing distribution networks.

Supply Chain Analysis – Work with third-party suppliers and contractors with emphasis on supply/demand market analysis, supply source strategy development, management information systems, financial analysis, bidding and negotiating, contracting, supplier relationship management, and performance management.

Consulting

Consultants perform database analysis, financial modeling, general business analysis, research, and generate reports for the client or project team. In addition, consultants are actively involved in the application and transfer of specific skills and knowledge to the client.

How to Land Your First Operations Management Job

Follow these steps to prepare for the job search process!

Use Keywords

When using job search platforms, such as Handshake, utilize keywords to find appropriate positions the industries you are interested in.

Below are titles Gies Alumni have had:

  • Consultant
  • Cyber Risk Associate
  • Technology Consultant
  • Business Analyst
  • Technology Risk Consultant
  • Area Manager
  • Project Manager
  • Analyst
  • It Specialist
  • Red Graduate Trainee
  • Product Manager
  • Audit Data Analyst
  • Implementation Coordinator
  • B2B Sales Associate
  • Operations Professionals Development Program
  • QA Specialist
  • Supply Chain Analyst
  • Account Manager
  • It Business Analyst Associate
  • Quality Assurance
  • Business Management Associate
  • Procurement Analyst
  • Business Risk Associate
  • Project Coordinator
  • Business Systems Analyst
  • Quality Engineering And Assurance Analyst
  • Human Capital Analyst
  • Operations Supervisor
  • Client Services Analyst
  • Commodity Merchandiser

Know How to Find These Opportunities

A simple way to get started is by learning more about the companies that hired Gies students in the past. Once you have identified your target companies, follow these companies on Handshake to be informed about opportunities and info sessions, in which you can network with recruiters and professionals.

Below are employers who have hired Gies OM students:

Customize your Resume & Cover Letter

It's important to customize your application documents for the industry/position you will be pursuing. Highlight your relevant experience by incorporating desired skills and qualifications into your application documents. How does your experience align with the skills the employer is seeking?

Some of the important skills you may want to highlight:

  • Project management
  • Cost accounting skillsSolid grasp on technology
  • Solid grasp on technology
  • Financial statement literacy
  • Problem solving
  • Business ethics
  • Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems
  • Risk assessment
  • Communication
  • Ability to Analyze DataRelationship Management
  • Relationship Management
  • Detail oriented
  • Negotiating
  • Google Analytics
  • Excel