What is BizOps?
BizOps, strategy and ops, business operations - the role goes by many different names. Sometimes called the connective tissue of an organization, bizops connects disparate data to empower strategic decision-making. We spoke with bizops folks at FAANG while building this course, and we found a few common threads:
"[Bizops] deals with problems across the entire company and serves almost as an internal consulting firm. It's comparable to a special task force." - Bizops @ Google
"[Bizops is] a decision-support mechanism that helps with everything from optimizing day-to-day operations to carrying out high priority initiatives to tackling the most important strategic questions." - Dan Yoo, former VP of Business Operations @ LinkedIn and Coinbase
"The main thrust of bizops, strategy, and ops - those roles have a lot of overlap depending on the company - is driving to decisions. Either to empower senior management or to drive your own projects to completion. In other words, distilling from the whole universe of things we could do, what's the shortlist, what are the potential impacts of each, and what / how do we do that." - Product Strategy and Ops @ Google
What Does BizOps Do?
BizOps folks operationalize data; they investigate, make recommendations, and execute on those strategic decisions to create positive change in an organization.
Traditionally, bizops people come from consulting backgrounds because the consulting skillset mirrors the above. But companies want dedicated, in-house people (otherwise they’d just hire consultants), so they look for culture fit indicators as well as baseline consulting chops.
To operationalize, the required skill set includes data and problem-solving. To execute, the required skill set includes project and stakeholder management. In order to do this work sustainably, companies look for a certain culture fit.
Don't just take our word for it. Let's look at some real job descriptions.
Associate, Business Operations and Strategy @ Google
"Google's leadership team hand-picks thorny business challenges, and members of BizOps work in small teams to find solutions. As part of this team you fully immerse yourself in data collection, draw insight from analysis, and then zoom out to develop compelling, synthesized recommendations. Taking strategy one step further, you also persuasively communicate your recommendations to senior-level executives, roll-up your sleeves to help drive implementation and check back-in to see the impact of your recommendations."
Business Operations Manager, Reality Labs @ Oculus VR / Meta
"Responsibilities for this role will include establishing strong and trusting relationships with business partners, developing a deep understanding of Reality Labs business, identifying opportunities for the AR group, and bringing data-driven insights to inform long-term strategic decisions. Successful candidates will have exceptional analytical skills, a bias toward action, exceptional partnering and communication skills, and a strong interest in the internet/tech media ecosystem. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated their ability to partner with leadership, shown that they are structured and creative problem solvers and that they are able to thrive in a fast-paced and at times ambiguous environment."
Senior Manager, Strategy & BizOps @ Instacart
"Instacart’s Strategy & BizOps team moves fast to set the direction for our organization and solve Instacart’s toughest cross-functional problems. As a Strategy & BizOps team member, you will be the primary point of contact for our leadership team on critical questions related to Instacart’s near-term and long-term success. You will need to solve for multiple priorities (growth, efficiency, quality, just to name a few) and consider various stakeholders (customers, shoppers, and retailers). Each week will bring you a new set of projects and challenges, where success is measured by data-driven outcomes -- you will have the satisfaction of seeing the results of your work and earning the gratitude of your peers while growing your career and learning the ins-and-outs of a cutting edge tech startup."
Each of these emphasizes a data-driven approach to solving the most challenging business problems - all while working cross-functionally.
Role Requirements
Most companies recruit ex-consultants for bizops roles, as consultants have core bizops skills like problem-solving, stakeholder management, and leading through influence. FAANG companies look for ex-McKinsey, BCG, and Bain consultants who likely focused on strategic work, but you'll still find ex-KPMG, E&Y, and Deloitte consultants. Alternate paths to bizops include entrepreneurship and even research science, though these backgrounds are significantly rarer. We also hear that "chief of staff" experience can lead to a fruitful career in bizops.
Not a consultant? don't fret. Many entry-level bizops roles ("associate"-level) require 2-3 years related experience -- finance, business or data analysis, or operations experience could satisfy this requirement.
In terms of skills, be sure to study up on finance and data basics. Practice advanced spreadsheet techniques and SQL if you're interviewing at a company known to be very data-driven. Because critical thinking, communication, and "polished presentation" skills are so critical for bizops, look for opportunities to practice big-picture thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and both written and verbal communication skills.
Still not sure how to transition? Here are a few common pathways to bizops.
Transition from finance or investment banking
Investment banking requires similar skills as both consulting and bizops. You'll be an expert at analyzing data, forecasting, and spotting lucrative opportunities. You're also likely a very clear communicator. If you attended an MBA program, your skills will transfer beautifully.
Leverage startup experience
The tech industry is well aware that startup culture is all hands on deck. If you have significant startup experience, you've had your hands in many pies, and you likely possess much of the core bizops skill set. Startup work requires strong communication, operationalizing data, and collaborating with others to solve problems. Transitioning to a BizOps position on your career path can be an excellent option for someone with a startup background especially if you can show how your work experience guided leadership, involved influencing top decision-makers or focused on problem-solving across business units.
Show aptitude for data-driven strategic thinking
There are countless ways you can demonstrate strategic chops. BizOps requires creativity; there's a reason it's considered the "task force" sent in to solve the thorniest problems. If your work experience required critical thinking, analyzing raw data for big decisions, strategizing on a small or large scale and effectively communicating across the corporate structure, you may be a strong candidate for a bizops position.