How to explore a career in Operations Management after an MBA?

Operations Management is a lucrative career option for many aspiring students. Pursuing an MBA degree in this discipline unlocks potentially rewarding job opportunities for graduates. Students can opt for a career in varied industries like logistics, supply chain management, operations research, and manufacturing, among others. MBA graduates are well suited for a career in this field as they are equipped with knowledge and skills in business operations. Upon course completion, they are eligible to explore high-paying careers in the domain. This blog takes a deeper look at the course and the complete journey from an MBA to Operations Management career options ahead.

Steps to build a career in Operations Management

If you’re keen on pursuing an MBA in Operations Management career path, you would need to take the following steps:

1. Pursue a relevant Master’s degree: An MBA degree is one of the most logical choices in this path. You may consider opting for a specialization in Operations Management. This will help widen your knowledge base and make you eligible for top senior roles in the industry. 

2. Develop a strong domain understanding: This is the next logical step on the journey from an MBA to an Operations Management career. A strong understanding of the field can help develop the required skills and enable you to climb the success ladder. This can be done by pursuing internships or job roles in the area. 

3. Focus on industry-specific knowledge: This is crucial for career progression. You may choose to pursue short-term courses/diploma programs online to further enhance your knowledge and expertise in the domain of Operations Management. The additional skills that you gain in the process would also enable you to assume top managerial roles in the industry. 

4. Network with professionals: Networking plays an important role in career growth and advancement. To move upward in your career in Ops Management after an MBA course, you must network with the right people to widen your knowledge base and skill set. This would include experts in the industry as well as other professional peers who can shed light on their experiences and help you with yours.

5. Earn certifications: Industry-specific certification courses can be highly important in advancing your skill sets in the domain. Most of these are short-term and can also be pursued online from the comfort of your home. Pursuing certifications helps establish you as a leader in the industry, making you appear more attractive to prospective recruiters.

Top Career Paths in Operations Management

Let’s take a look at what your career in Ops Management after an MBA would look like. Following are some of the top job roles that are likely to open up for eligible candidates:

Industries offering Ops career options with MBA

The table above indicates some of the most important job roles that you can take up in your career in Ops Management after an MBA. Let us now look at some of the top industries that are willing to recruit graduates in this discipline:

• Manufacturing: This is one of the top Ops career options with an MBA degree. Professionals are required to supervise the everyday operations of a manufacturing plant.
• Retail and E-commerce: E-commerce operations managers are responsible for the overall management of inventory, interactions with customers, and order placements. 
• Healthcare: With the growing need for improving healthcare systems and efficient patient care services, there is a need for an Operations Manager to manage costs and enhance processes for better service delivery.     
• Logistics & supply chain: Graduates with an MBA manage the entire supply chain in an organization by maintaining control of inventory management, distribution, sales, and production processes.   
• FMCG: This is also one of the best Ops career options with an MBA degree under the graduates’ belts. They are responsible for designing and maintaining the standard protocols of the food business and ensuring that the products comply with the prescribed health standards. 

Essential skills for Operations jobs after MBA

The MBA degree in Operations Management helps equip students with the following key skills that help assume top Operations jobs after MBA completion. Some of these are detailed below:

1. Problem-solving: This is a key skill required for conflict management in everyday business operations. Conflicts may arise due to differing opinions among the staff or challenges in the timely completion of projects.

2. Adaptability: Operation Managers must be able to adapt to the fast-paced business environment to survive and thrive. 

3. Leadership: This is one of the most crucial skills required for Operations jobs after MBA courses. Operation Managers are required to be effective leaders complete with the desired technical and soft skills for guiding their respective teams toward the completion of organizational goals. 

4. Decision-making: Operation Managers need to be quick thinkers and able to make strategic decisions for the overall profitability of the business.

Why pursue the MBA Operations Management path?

An MBA in Operations Management is the essential tool that would equip you with the analytical and strategic skills required to excel in the evolving path of Operations and Supply Chain Management. There is an extensive demand for professionals in this field as businesses continue to grow in every industry. Skilled professionals are needed to assume top managerial roles in an organization and oversee everyday operations. 

Pursuing the MBA Operations Management path from Sikkim Manipal University is a wise career decision. The degree can be pursued from the location of your choice online and would not interfere with your everyday commitments. Sikkim Manipal University is a NAAC A+ accredited university offering UGC-entitled online degrees.

Conclusion

An MBA in Operations Management is the first step to a lucrative career path in the Operations and Supply Chain industry. Prepare yourself for top leadership roles in the domain at attractive pay packages with an online MBA in Operations Management from Sikkim Manipal University.