Operations Management offers a variety of career options to choose from. Dr Vandana Sonwaney lists a few courses that make for an interesting choice
Operations management is one of the most important functions of organisations across all sectors. It encompasses planning, organising, executing and monitoring of production timeline of products and services right from procurement of raw materials to end-delivery to customers.
Operations managers are required to streamlining all processes of organisations in liaison with human resources, marketing, finance, IT and customer service departments to optimise the resources at a minimal cost. While operations management has held importance in industries since decades, e-commerce has spurred its growth like never before and made it a sought-after academic branch/specialisation among aspiring management professionals.
Today, there is a high demand for candidates with an operations management background in e-commerce, logistics, supply chain, banking and financial services, telecommunication, hospitality, automobile, aviation, construction and manufacturing industry among many others. Some of the most popular career options in operations management are:
Project Manager
They have the responsibility of ensuring smooth coordination and timely completion of projects within a defined budget and scope. They plan and allocate different resources such as labour, time and money for efficient utilisation at a cost-effective rate. They also prepare status reports, lead project teams, resolve conflicts, monitor quality and develop user manuals.
Supply Chain Manager
They oversee end-to-end management of operations such as procurement of raw materials, vendor management, inventory control, warehousing, logistics, distribution and product returns. They are assigned the task of formulating a robust supply main strategy to maximise productivity and efficiency.
Quality Control Manager
Quality control managers develop benchmarks, policies and processes to provide quality products and services to customers. They also have the onus of adhering to regulatory compliances pertaining to quality parameters. The duties also include training employees in the best quality practices, conducting quality audits at regular intervals and increase profitability by reducing waste.
Purchasing Manager
Purchasing managers procure goods (usually raw materials) on behalf of their organisations for use or resell. They evaluate the needs of the organisation with respect to the good to be purchased in terms of quantity, quality, price and delivery timeline. Then, they reach out to suppliers, strike negotiations, draw contracts, keep track of shipments, do a quality check on the delivery of goods and settle supplier payments.
Hospitality/Healthcare Operations Manager
Both hospitality and healthcare are among the fastest-growing service industries in India and expected to create thousands of jobs in the coming years.
Hospitality operations managers can build their careers in restaurants, hotels, resorts, amusement parks, cruise lines and any allied sector that falls under the food-beverage and travel-tourism industry.
They typically have to perform job duties such as running floor operations, supervising inventory, managing customer relations and training employees.
The responsibilities of healthcare operations manager are on similar lines as that of their peers in the hospitality industry. The only difference is that the former work in hospitals, clinics, and healthcare facilities and look after the overall administration of the facility.
The writer is Director, Symbiosis Institute of Operations Management