Responsibilities of a Business Planner
Business planners are responsible for managing risks or dealing with finances in the accounting department. They perform various kinds of risk evaluations, analysis of business impacts, controlling of the techniques etc to plan for circumstances that might be risky and may lead to financial havoc. Stress and tediousness are a part of this job, as it is based on analysis, report making and researching, as all the important statistics and data that needs to be conveyed to the higher echelons of the management. They need to commit to deadlines along with spending longer working hours.
Business planners are also responsible for developing strategies for business continuity, policies for emergency responses, and plans to tackle threats from various quarters. They need to conduct risk assessment tests, thereby ensuring that they are designed for the policies and establish effective safeguards.
They provide oversight and reviews of planned procedures and policies and need to supervise and assign people to particular departments. Conducting presentations and meetings on various risk mitigation subjects and training managers from various departments on handling processes and event documentation are some of the other responsibilities to be fulfilled by a business planner. Their main aim is to mitigate any disaster or threat. You are also responsible to coordinate between the management and external agencies, which may include clients and prospective customers. These are considered as the secondary responsibilities of the business planner.
Skills and Other Requirements
As this job is all about details and attention, all applicants must possess sound mental alertness and excellent mathematical skills, along with great communication abilities, both verbal and written. The role of a business planner is to be an excellent planning agent, with great skills in organizing situations and deals. Other than that, the person concerned should be able to plan or devise business strategies, make quick and correct decisions etc.
Educational Requirements
If you are applying for the position of a business planner, you must possess a bachelor's degree in mathematics, statistics or even business. It also helps if you have an MBA degree from a reputed institute. For example, if you have a certification from the ABCP or Associate Business Continuity Planner, your chances for securing the post of a business planner are high.
Salaries and Career Prospects
Professionals in the field of business procedures planning can make an average salary of around $84,000 annually, while some are even entitled to earning higher salaries. That depends on your experience and organization. Possessing a certified or a master's degree definitely increases your opportunities of earning more. According to the latest studies, this is a growing field with more and more organizations identifying the need for business planners.
The job of a business planner is mostly classed as a white collar job as the work is mostly performed in an office environment. The job is well paid and as a business planner you can work in government, private or non profit organizations.
