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Senior business manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Jim McClenahan,

Aldo Musacchio Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical senior business manager skills. We ranked the top skills for senior business managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 13.4% of senior business manager resumes contained analytics as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a senior business manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 senior business manager skills for your resume and career

1. Analytics

Here's how senior business managers use analytics:

Lead the business requirement gathering for the executive dashboard and business analytics construction interacting directly with the Executive Committee.
Developed robust rebate analytics for a pharmaceutical client, improved the estimation process by increasing level of accuracy.

2. Project Management

Here's how senior business managers use project management:

Provided support in performance management, employee relations, recruiting and retention, succession plans and project management and Generalist responsibilities.
Co-developed and implemented global enterprise-wide change management strategy utilizing the strategic change and project management models endorsed/adopted by the organization.

3. Portfolio

Here's how senior business managers use portfolio:

Managed a portfolio of inpatient and outpatient products marketed to major academic medical centers, community hospitals and nursing homes.
Developed a monthly Product and Solutions Operations Review capturing all current initiatives and accomplishments for each Service portfolio.

4. SR

Here's how senior business managers use sr:

Managed capacity plans, activity costs and cost estimates and resource allocation across six Call Center Technology Sr. Technical Directors teams.
Report the findings to the ED, Sr. Business Director, CFO & Corp FP&A.

5. Risk Management

Risk management is the method of recognizing, evaluating, and managing risks to an organization's resources and profits. Financial insecurity, regulatory liability, strategic management mistakes, incidents, and natural hazards are just some of the challenges or dangers that could arise. For digitalized businesses, IT security vulnerabilities and data-related threats, as well as risk management techniques to mitigate them, have become top priorities.

Here's how senior business managers use risk management:

Risk Management: Routinely reviewed existing insurance policies and risk options to maximized return on investment for each property.
Executed a top-down and bottom-up risk management process, providing a holistic view of the site's risk profile.

6. Business Strategies

Here's how senior business managers use business strategies:

Partner across multiple IT organizations/functions on business strategies and functional/business architectures.
Create business strategies and functional/technical/business architectures.

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7. 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 senior business managers use business development:

Led and collaborated with business development and relationship management divisions to cultivate and strengthen existing relationships within broker dealer firms.
Performed business development activities including building and developing client referral sources and meeting with them periodically to continue referral relationships.

8. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how senior business managers use customer service:

Appointed the Customer Service Business Planning Liaison to the Pharmacy Operations division during operational re-alignments and budget development process.
Supervised development of the overall integration for multiple Sales and Customer Service initiatives, impacting 20000+ end-users

9. 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 senior business managers use continuous improvement:

Founded the Operational Excellence School, providing enterprise-wide educational solutions to drive a global culture of continuous improvement.
Enforced strict software development procedures, audit compliance, readiness and continuous improvement procedures.

10. Process Improvement

Here's how senior business managers use process improvement:

Resolved issues and developed process improvement gap/interface functional specifications
Led process improvement efforts to improve internal reporting and forecasting, including identifying and standardizing operating and financial metrics.

11. Business Management

Business management refers to a subject where coordination of all spheres of an organization's operations by planning comes into existence. It majorly concerns with issues about income and other factors such as the profitability of the business.

Here's how senior business managers use business management:

Directed financial and business management initiatives in support of Global Supply Chain Management's Enterprise Operations organization.
Introduced new financial documentation systems for Business Management to facilitate sound allocation and transition of resources.

12. Financial Analysis

Here's how senior business managers use financial analysis:

Compiled, maintained and generated financial analysis reporting, ensuring budget targets are met.
Developed financial analysis tools driving enhanced product profit margins and increased capital equipment utilization.

13. Product Development

Product development is the complete procedure of creating a product from concept until release of the final product. Product development has many stages after which a product is released into the market. Identifying the need, creating the opportunity, conceptualizing a product, and providing a solution, all are different stages of product development.

Here's how senior business managers use product development:

Managed product process from concept to market, including product development for exclusive and/or innovative design.
Demonstrated success partnering with product development teams to introduce new product initiatives / options that deliver significant ROI and revenue results.

14. SQL

Here's how senior business managers use sql:

Executed SQL queries, evaluated metrics and presented results to budget executive director.
Executed preformatted SQL quires for global payroll implementation as to verify payroll databases within MS payroll applications.

15. Business Processes

Here's how senior business managers use business processes:

Worked with business units to help them re-engineer their business processes and deliver semi-automated or enhanced reporting tools to improve performance.
Developed a strong, cohesive business team, which developed exceptional business processes that consistently produced superior financial results.

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What skills help Senior Business Managers find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on senior business manager resumes?

Jim McClenahan

Director of Career and Corporate Outreach, University of Nevada, Reno

Most importantly, skills that are customized for the job you are applying. Someone could work in a restaurant and have great customer management skills that would work well in a bank. The key is identifying "transferrable skills"-how what you did is relevant for the job you are applying. The applicant has to articulate that-don't expect the committee, screener, or HR Recruiter to make the connections. For business majors, the skills that differentiate applicants are technical skills when they are relevant to the job. Data analysis, coding, SQL are often looked for by employers that have a tech focus as preferred skills.

What soft skills should all senior business managers possess?

Aldo Musacchio Ph.D.

Professor, Program Director of the MBA, Brandeis University

When we talk to employers, they usually tell you they want students who know how to listen and drive. They want someone who is going to be happy to be in the company, who is going to participate actively in meetings and teams, and who is going to be good at listening and the following guidance.

What hard/technical skills are most important for senior business managers?

Aldo Musacchio Ph.D.

Professor, Program Director of the MBA, Brandeis University

Lately, employers appreciate software skills to manipulate data, like some knowledge of Python or R, and information visualization software like Tableau. Many companies have their databases in SQL format, and having the capacity to work with it is key. Interestingly, digital marketing and social media skills also get a lot of traction as many employers do not know how to keep and manage a presence in social media, especially in Instagram, and may not be as good as students using tools like Google Analytics.

What senior business manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Kim Roberts

Professor of Operations Management, Website

Business professionals lead organizations by focused efforts that revolve around products/services, processes, and people. Business professionals work to ensure the firm's products and/or services meet customer expectations, with an eye toward an ever-changing market. They manage processes that produce or support the firm's products. This requires the ability to analyze data to make informed decisions, to drive continuous improvement, and to solve problems through critical thinking. Successful business professionals must also create climates that promote teamwork and foster collaboration.

What type of skills will young senior business managers need?

Patrick Scott Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Economics, Louisiana Tech University

I think the importance of critical thinking and reasoning skills cannot be overstated enough. In this area, economics shines. Additionally, analytical and quantitative skills are more important than ever. Businesses continue to make the shift towards data-driven decision making. The ability to quickly analyze data and correctly assign an interpretation or meaning to that data is an important job market skill. With just a little bit of economic intuition, combined data science skills, business economics majors are uniquely positioned for success in the job market of tomorrow.

Do you want to know more?

List of senior business manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a senior business manager resume and required skills for a senior business manager to have include:

Analytics
Project Management
Portfolio
SR
Risk Management
Business Strategies
Business Development
Customer Service
Continuous Improvement
Process Improvement
Business Management
Financial Analysis
Product Development
SQL
Business Processes

KPIs
Human Resources
Excellent Interpersonal
Visualization
Digital Marketing
Client Facing
Business Objectives
CRM
Exceptional Client
Strategic Plan
Harvest
Cash Management
ROI
Sigma
Business Operations

Market Research
Direct Reports
Strategic Thinking
Strategic Direction
Lean Six Sigma
Cash Flow
Financial Performance
Financial Management
Management System
Revenue Growth
Real Estate
Renewable Energy
Customer Satisfaction
Business Analysts

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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