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Business unit leader skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

7 min read

Quoted experts

Xu Zhang Ph.D.,

Andreas Udbye Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical business unit leader skills. We ranked the top skills for business unit leaders based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 9.7% of business unit leader resumes contained continuous improvement as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a business unit leader needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 business unit leader skills for your resume and career

1. Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is an ongoing process of improvement of products, services, and processes with the help of innovative ideas. It is an organized approach that helps an organization to find its weaknesses and improve them.

Here's how business unit leaders use continuous improvement:

Generated information boards to report metrics on business unit to management and staff identifying good performance and opportunities for continuous improvement.
Ensured continuous improvement in productivity, quality, safety, sanitation, raw material utilization, maintenance and operating costs.

2. Quality Standards

Quality standards are a specific level of standards of products that are set by the companies for the customers that have to be met and maintained throughout the process until the time of delivery. Quality standards are information that includes the customer's requirements, guidelines, and characteristics for the needed final product or service.

Here's how business unit leaders use quality standards:

Gained improved financial position and broad flexibility through language modifications; consistently reached and surpassed corporate cost and quality standards.
Directed and coordinated activities so that approved products were manufactured on schedule and within quality standards and cost objectives.

3. Lean Manufacturing

Here's how business unit leaders use lean manufacturing:

Utilized 5-S and Lean Manufacturing in the automobile manufacturing process Validate daily hours work through timekeeping for hourly workers
Culture shift required, extensive lean manufacturing training so concepts are understood as implementation continues.

4. Safety Culture

Safety culture is a set of individual and group values, perceptions, attitudes, ways of conducting, and beliefs that employees share about risks within an organization. It is an organizational culture that prioritizes the safety beliefs, values, and attitudes that the majority of people in the organization share.

Here's how business unit leaders use safety culture:

Led my team to creating a safety culture with zero accident and individual accountabilities.

5. World Class

World-class is a person or something of the highest rank internationally. You receive the world-class title if your status or qualities surpasses everyone in that category.

Here's how business unit leaders use world class:

Coordinated daily team activities to achieve corporate KPI s, and implementing World Class Manufacturing tools and processes.
Implemented and managed World Class Manufacturing and improved through-put in Trim, Chassis, and Final Assembly.

6. Business Development

Business development is the ideas or initiatives that work to make business work better. Selling, advertising, product development, supply chain management, and vendor management are only a few of the divisions involved with it. There is still a lot of networking, negotiating, forming alliances, and trying to save money. The goals set for business development guide and coordinate with all of these various operations and sectors.

Here's how business unit leaders use business development:

Led business development efforts for Greater Philadelphia region.
Led and assisted in the development of proposal, responses to RFP's, planning, implementations, and business development.

7. Business Plan

Here's how business unit leaders use business plan:

Secured capital investment from new insurance partner through development and presentation of financial metrics supporting business plan and opportunity.
Executed regional and national strategic priorities by developing and tailoring local business plans aligned to brand priorities.

8. Product Quality

Product quality is the basic element of a business. It means to add features in a product or service in such a way that it meets the needs and wants of the customers. Enhancing the product quality also means improve the goods from any existing defects to ensure customer satisfaction.

Here's how business unit leaders use product quality:

Changed company culture resulting in better equipment maintenance and product quality output.
Initiate new safety processes, improved product quality and increased customer satisfaction.

9. Strong Analytical

Here's how business unit leaders use strong analytical:

Combined strong analytical and marketing expertise to provide outstanding performance in building new products, markets and profitable revenue streams.

10. OSHA

Here's how business unit leaders use osha:

Implemented training programs for new employees, delivered OSHA training sessions, presented weekly safety talks, and conducted safety audits.
Led cross-functional team to develop and implement Michelin's safety working at heights standards for compliance to OSHA.

11. Production Supervisors

A Production Supervisor is an employee who is in charge of ensuring that the production processes of one or more products continues to run. This often includes the maintenance and repair of various tools and machinery, the organising of different employee, delivery, and various other schedules, and hiring new employees.

Here's how business unit leaders use production supervisors:

Provided performance feedback, planning and performance recommendations to all Production Supervisors.
Staff Management: Managed and directed 5 production supervisors, 8 team leads, and 250 hourly employees.

12. KPIs

Here's how business unit leaders use kpis:

Reduced project completion rate by 50% using KPIs to track completion times, revenue opportunities, resource availability and win/loss.
Analyzed, conducted and developed multiple performance KPIs to provide visibility on opportunities on cross-functional teams.

13. Strategic Plan

Here's how business unit leaders use strategic plan:

Developed strategic plans to in-draw/relocate components and assemblies from key suppliers during bankruptcy process.
Designed and facilitated strategic planning for U.S. Government Affairs department.

14. Process Improvement

Here's how business unit leaders use process improvement:

Initiated and directed cost-reduction initiatives through design modifications and/or supplier process improvements.
Created and monitored business KPI's to identify process improvement opportunities.

15. Corrective Action

Here's how business unit leaders use corrective action:

Handled customer complaints by communicating personally with clients to identify root cause and implementing corrective actions to ensure customer satisfaction.
Manage financial objectives by preparing the business budget, scheduling expenditures, analyzing variances, and initiating corrective actions.

What skills help Business Unit Leaders find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on business unit leader resumes?

Xu Zhang Ph.D.

Chair, Farmingdale State College

I believe the most important attributes employers seek on a resume remain the same-problem solving skills, team work skills, analytical/quantitative skills, verbal and written communication skills. However, given the pandemic or any other unexpected shock to work environment, how to quickly and efficiently adapt to new work modes can be a very valuable attribute standing out on resume.

What soft skills should all business unit leaders possess?

Andreas Udbye Ph.D.

Associate Professor, University Of Puget Sound

Collaboration and teamwork skills are crucial, as well as the ability to focus and meet deadlines. Although it is nice to mention that you are a good multi-tasker, most people are these days, and employers seem to like people who can stay the course and complete tasks on time and with high quality. Tenacity and accuracy are other attractive attributes.

What hard/technical skills are most important for business unit leaders?

Andreas Udbye Ph.D.

Associate Professor, University Of Puget Sound

Job listings in supply chain management will typically list more technical skills than what can realistically be possessed by one person (SQL, Python, ERP, project management, etc.), but at a minimum, an applicant needs strong spreadsheet skills and at least some exposure to database management.

What business unit leader skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Nina Woodard

Senior Career Development Specialist, Belmont University

For entertainment, digital marketing and content creation skills are critical. Even if a role isn't specifically connected to digital marketing, social media is almost always involved in most entry-level roles. We strongly encourage students and recent graduates to learn basic graphic design platforms, video editing and audio editing. Learning how to maximize impact on social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram or TikTok is also a worthy investment of time. There's a wide range of self-paced training resources online, many available for free or at reduced costs for students.

What type of skills will young business unit leaders need?

Craig Nathanson Ph.D.

Adjunct Lecturer, Sonoma State University

I see the essential human skills gaining importance to build a new post-covid work life. These include creativity, leading and working in teams, writing, speaking, being self-aware, and lowering bias and networking; career branding as critical areas for graduates to focus on now.

Do you want to know more?

List of business unit leader skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a business unit leader resume and required skills for a business unit leader to have include:

Continuous Improvement
Quality Standards
Lean Manufacturing
Safety Culture
World Class
Business Development
Business Plan
Product Quality
Strong Analytical
OSHA
Production Supervisors
KPIs
Strategic Plan
Process Improvement
Corrective Action
On-Time Delivery

Develop Team
R
Direct Reports
Performance Metrics
Strategic Direction
Production Lines
TPM
Revenue Growth
GMP
Cost Savings
Kaizen
Product Development
Sigma
WCM
Production Schedules
SQF

Quality System
HACCP
Logistics
FDA
ERP
Cost Reduction
OEE
Unscheduled Maintenance
PPM
OEM
Production Planning
AOP
Management System
HR

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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