Undergraduate Careers:
Operations and Technology Management

A career in Operations Management offers great challenges and opportunities within a variety of fields, including but not limited to: banking, communication, consulting, government, health care, manufacturing, and transportation. When taken jointly with coursework in areas such as management of organizations, accounting, finance, international business, or marketing, the concentration presents you with an even broader range of career options. Operations Management typically involves supervision of people, equipment, information and resources necessary to efficiently produce or deliver an organization's product or service. Operations managers often work on areas including quality control, capacity planning, process choices, materials management, purchasing and scheduling. Opportunities in this field present rewarding challenges to students with good analytical and quantitative skills who want jobs that facilitate how an organization runs.

Position Yourself for Success

Take leadership roles on team projects, demonstrating your ability to lead small to mid range projects and develop effective plans.
Develop strong computer skills.
Gain customer/client support experience and supervisory experience.
Be prepared to answer interview questions regarding process improvements implemented in past jobs, teamwork, communication, analysis/problem solving, and the ability to adapt.

Sample on-the-job Responsibilities*

Manage implementation of a new allocation system to replace current system. This project includes collaborating with the vendor and various other business partners to ensure a timely and smooth transition.
Check online ads to ensure that all ad elements meet PointRoll quality standards. Test and troubleshoot issues that are reported by publishers and agencies.
Handle periodic system close and balancing process (monthly, plan/forecast, period restatement, etc.). This includes the continued development of tools to reduce the close and balancing time and improve process efficiency.
Develop policies, create tools for supply chain management, analyze management efficiencies, and manage cultural change involved with new policies and process.
Manage financial operations, including accounting policies and procedures; budget development and monitoring; internal and external financial reporting; annual audits; cash management and banking; payroll administration; and capital budget management.

*From posted positions targeting OTM concentrators

Sample Entry Level Job Titles

Analyst*
BAS Associate*
Field Services Supervisor*
Financial Management Program*
Inventory Analyst
Logistics Analyst
District Manager*
Operations Analyst*
Management Rotational Program*
Purchasing Agent
Quality Assurance Analyst
Technology & Risk Services Staff 1*
Transportation & Pricing Analyst

* Denotes BU graduates from the classes of 2005, 2006 and 2007 with OTM Concentrations

Sample list of employers of BU alums
with a concentration in OTM

Accenture
Aldi Foods
Analog Devices Inc.
Bloomberg
Coach
DHL
Ernst & Young
Fidelity Investments
General Electric
Grant Thornton
Hanover Insurance
Houston's Restaurant Corporation
JP Morgan
Merrill Lynch
State Street Corporation
United Technologies

Career opportunities which often require additional experience
or education

Chief Operations Officer (COO)
Distribution Manager
Operations Research Analyst
Purchasing Manager or Buyer

Transferable Skills

Analytical
Communication
Leadership
Planning
Quantitative

Sample Professional Salaries

Entry level Operations Research Analyst: $48,783
Materials Management Supervisor I: $40,563
Buyer I: $41,378
Field Service Supervisor I: $58,612

*From Salary.com national average base salary data, June 2007. These salaries can vary based upon region, size and type of firm. Be sure to refer to a variety of sources when researching compensation amounts.

Web Resources

Operations Management Center: www.mhhe.com/omc
Jobs in Logistics: www.jobsinlogistics.com
Production & Operations Management Society: www.poms.org
Institute for Supply Management: www.ism.ws
Association for Operations Management: www.apics.org
American Purchasing Society: www.american-purchasing.com

For additional information and detailed descriptions of possible career options, please refer to Occupational Outlook Handbook, www.bls.gov/oco:

Purchasing managers, buyers, and purchasing agents
Procurement Clerks
Operations Research Analysts
Industrial Production Managers

Undergraduate Careers:Operations and Technology Management