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What is a business unit manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Expert
Dr. Kim Roberts
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What will you do as a Business Unit Manager? You will manage and build customer relationships, track data, and meet emerging needs. As the Business Unit Manager, you will follow trends of products and suggest new ways to build your company's business. You will also create, modify, update, and communicate budgets and strategic goals. As the Business Unit Manager, you will troubleshoot and resolve problems and concerns, document root causes, and fix problems.

A Business Unit Manager should have a bachelor's degree in business administration or a similar field. You should also have a diploma from an accredited university or college. You will need experience in the business field and as a leader of a group or team. If you have five to nine years of experience, you could earn an average yearly salary of $87,000. As a Business Unit Manager with ten to twenty years of experience, you could earn as high as $103,000 annually.

What general advice would you give to a Business Unit Manager?

Dr. Kim RobertsDr. Kim Roberts LinkedIn Profile

Professor of Operations Management, Website

Business-related occupations offer attractive salaries and offer a variety of disciplines, such as accounting, contract management, cybersecurity, finance, human resources, logistics, marketing, management, operations, sales, and more. However, business careers are often demanding, requiring long work weeks and travel.

Skills
leadership
communication
innovation
adaptation
critical thinking
problem solving
emotional intelligence
empathy
teamwork
cultural competence
conflict management
ethics and social responsibility
ScoreBusiness Unit ManagerUS Average
Salary
8.2

Avg. Salary $122,782

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
9.6

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 6.40%

Black or African American 6.22%

Hispanic or Latino 15.32%

Unknown 4.34%

White 67.25%

Gender

female 17.16%

male 82.84%

Age - 44
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44
Stress Level
9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
9.2

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
3.6

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

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Business Unit Manager career paths

Key steps to become a business unit manager

  1. Explore business unit manager education requirements

    Most common business unit manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    70.4 %

    Master's

    17.8 %

    Associate

    8.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific business unit manager skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Continuous Improvement10.69%
    Customer Service10.46%
    Product Line4.84%
    Project Management4.50%
    Customer Satisfaction4.32%
  3. Complete relevant business unit manager training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New business unit managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a business unit manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real business unit manager resumes.
  4. Gain additional business unit manager certifications

    Business unit manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific business unit manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

    The most common certifications for business unit managers include Six Sigma Green Belt and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

    More About Certifications
  5. Research business unit manager duties and responsibilities

    • Manage capital investment of $250k refurbishment project in RBD department to begin the plant's first TPM program.
    • Manage a portfolio of inpatient and outpatient products market to major academic medical centers, community hospitals and nursing homes.
    • Maintain establishment's monthly bills including payroll, utilities, advertisement, and vending.
    • Review as-is business processes and deploy new processes, roles & responsibilities and KPI's.
  6. Prepare your business unit manager resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your business unit manager resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a business unit manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Business Unit Manager Resume templates

    Build a professional Business Unit Manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Business Unit Manager resume.
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    Business Unit Manager Resume
  7. Apply for business unit manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a business unit manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Business Unit Manager Job

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Average business unit manager salary

The average Business Unit Manager salary in the United States is $122,782 per year or $59 per hour. Business unit manager salaries range between $81,000 and $184,000 per year.

Average Business Unit Manager Salary
$122,782 Yearly
$59.03 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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How do business unit managers rate their job?

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Business Unit Manager reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Pros

I am able to stay organized and able to help other do there job correctly and ask questions when needed

Cons

People lacking an not doing what they are told to do and when they don't show up on time


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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