Operations line managers will spend most of their time resolving immediate problems concerning production. Responsibilities include production process improvement, demand planning, raw material sourcing, inventory utilization, product quality issues, worker staffing, employee productivity and motivation, and customer satisfaction.
Line managers will also be expected to identify long-term problems and resources necessary for resolution. Typically, line managers will report to a section manager for materials, quality, production or, in some cases, directly to a plant manager.
Operations staff managers work with manufacturing sites to resolve short-term problems and long-term systems needs. They are expected to keep up with the technological changes in their industry and to develop strategies for plan expansions, new manufacturing techniques, make/buy decisions, etc. They work closely with marketing and corporate planning staffs to develop business and product plans representing manufacturing interests.
Typical Concentration(s)
Primary: Operations
Optional Secondary Concentration: Finance or Marketing
Companies that Recruit Vanderbilt MBAs
- AIM Healthcare
- American Express
- Dell
- Emerson
- GE
- Harrah’s
- HCA
- HP
- The Home Depot
- Sara Lee
Owen Extras
Clubs, activities, events, and programs to help build your résumé:
- Owen Operations Club
- Management Consulting Association
- Owen School Student Association
- Strategy Club
- Strategy Analysis Projects (for academic credit)
Operations Key Competencies
Do you have these personal attributes?
- Flexibility
- Strong initiative
- Leadership
Do you have or can you build the following competencies as an MBA?
- Strategic thinking skills
- Ability to tackle complex business problems
- Financial/operational analysis skills
- Ability to analyze and make recommendations
- Strong quantitative skills such as statistics and data analysis
- Ability to multi-task
- Project management skills
- Interpersonal and communication skills
- Team skills
- Ability to develop and deliver presentations
- Strong history of achievement in school and work
- Consulting experience
- Business/financial analyst experience
- Military experience
- Engineering experience
- Project management experience
- Operations and process analysis experience
