Business Operations and Management
Business Operations and Business Management are vital areas within any organisation. Business Operations focuses on streamlining processes, managing logistics and supply chains to improve efficiency and ensuring the business functions effectively on a day-to-day basis. Business Management can involve overseeing a wide range of functions, including human resources, business development and sales, project management and developing a corporate social responsibility strategy to name a few. Individuals working in these fields are responsible for coordinating resources, setting performance goals, analysing workflows, and implementing strategies that align with broader business objectives.
Careers in Business Operations and Management appeal to those who are strategic thinkers, natural organisers, and effective communicators. Success in this field requires strong analytical skills, an eye for detail and the ability to lead and motivate teams. It is a fast-paced environment where professionals must adapt to changes quickly, make data-driven decisions, and continuously look for ways to improve performance and reduce costs.
Most companies have a range of operations and management roles in different parts of their business hierarchy. You could enter operations and management via a graduate scheme, graduate job or progress from a more junior role. You may require or be offered additional training and qualifications relating to the industry or company you work for e.g. Prince 2 or Agile & Scrum Certification for Project Management roles. Post-graduate study isn’t usually essential, though may be part of your development.
Opportunities in business operations span nearly every industry, including retail, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, finance, and more. Roles such as Operations Manager, Supply Chain Analyst, Business Development Manager and Project Manager are just a few examples of positions available. With globalisation and digital transformation reshaping the business landscape, companies are increasingly reliant on operations professionals to drive innovation and efficiency.
Many Business Operations and Management roles offer opportunities for growth, impact, and long-term stability. Job roles in this sector typically combine strategic oversight with practical execution, making it both a challenging and rewarding career.
If you are interested in this sector, you may also be interested to look at:
If you would like to do further research into this sector, the following webpages may be useful.
- Prospects Overview of the Business Sector in the UK
- Target Jobs Sector Advice
- Bright Network Career Path Guides
- Why is office based administration crucial to any business? (allaboutcareers.com)
- Prospects Public Services and Administration - career tips, information on courses, apprenticeships and job opportunities
- Association for Project Management - what projects managers do, the career benefits and how to get started in this profession
- Management Careers in the NHS - read about NHS graduate schemes, real-life stories and a guide to taking your first steps in management in the NHS
- Target Jobs Guide to Business, Consulting and Management - job vacancies and career tips
- The Chartered Institute of People Development has a useful careers page with lots of information about working with people.
Making contacts is essential for success in this and other sectors. Many jobs in this field come through networking and speculative applications. You could start by speaking with the experts, find out what they did after graduation and contact them for advice.
Making contacts for work shadowing, networking conversations and speculative applications
To help increase your networks who may also be able to suggest ways to gain experiences look at:
- Ask an Alum: A fuss-free way to connect with University of Exeter alumni to ask careers questions.
- Career Mentor Scheme: A popular employability scheme which matches a student or graduate with an experienced professional, for sector insight and one-to-one careers advice and guidance, over a 6-month period.
- LinkedIn: This video describes how to use the LinkedIn Alumni tool. Why not see if there are any Exeter alumni working in this sector that you can connect with to gain insights and learn more.
- Start networking to make contacts. Attend events, comment on blogs, follow professionals on X and join a professional body.
Recruitment fairs, careers fairs, open days, talks, and events give insights and opportunities to make contacts. For details of future events visit Handshake. If you have not yet activated your account, select the Single Sign On (SSO) option and follow the onscreen instructions.
Many of the roles based within this sector area, exist across most organisations in some form or another. Therefore, it can be useful to explore, with a range of employers of different sizes and within different sectors, how these operational roles differ.
Many major graduate recruiters have policies and processes that are proactive in recruiting graduates from diverse backgrounds. To find out the policies and attitudes of employers that you are interested in, explore their equality and diversity policies and see if they offer Disability Confident Employer Scheme or are recognised for their policy by such indicators as Mindful Employer or as a Stonewall’s Diversity Champion.
The UK law protects you from discrimination due to your age, gender, race, religion or beliefs, disability or sexual orientation and more. For further information on the Equality Act and to find out where and how you are protected, as well as information on what you need to do if you feel you have been discriminated against, visit the Government’s webpages on discrimination.
To learn more about how to share details of a disability with an employer and the support you can receive applying for jobs and work experience visit our equality and diversity page.
Schemes which aim to increase diversity in the sector include:
- PwC – Black Talent in Business – 3-day paid programme.
- PwC – Women in Business – 3-day paid programme.
- 10000 Able Interns – addresses the underrepresentation of disabled talent for students and graduates of all ethnicities.
- 10000 Black Interns – paid internships for black students across a wide range of UK industries.
- Discover EY - (2-day programme for Black Heritage in Business and Women in Leadership and Social Mobility in Business).
- British Retail Consortium’s Diversity and Inclusion Charter.
Action
Explore roles in the sector by visiting the areas of work below. Each profile covers typical duties and responsibilities, entry requirements, key skills required, professional development opportunities and links to finding both work experience and graduate roles.
