Organizational Leadership Degree Jobs & Career Options

Organizational leadership degrees prepare students to work in leadership roles. This degree can land you a job in various fields, like business, human resources, and healthcare.

Some roles require a bachelor's degree in organizational leadership, while others require a master's. Keep reading to learn more about the jobs you can get with an organizational leadership degree.

What Is an Organizational Leadership Degree?

Organizational leadership degrees train students to lead and manage within an organizational setting. Students learn how organizations run, what motivates employees, and how to be a strong manager.

These programs cover topics like data analysis, research methods, and human resource and employment regulations. In addition to leadership skills, students will develop skills such as:

• communication skills
• conflict resolution skills
• decision-making skills
• interpersonal skills
• problem-solving skills

Many traditional and affordable online organizational leadership degrees offer concentrations for specific industries (e.g., business, human resources, or healthcare), which allows students to develop additional competencies based on their career goals.

Careers With a Bachelor's Degree in Organizational Leadership

Bachelor's degrees are undergraduate degrees that usually take four years of full-time study. These can lead to leadership positions, especially in corporate and non-profit settings.

Corporate & Non-Profit Positions

Most frequently, a degree in organizational leadership will lead to career opportunities in corporate and nonprofit organizations. We've listed a few of these roles below.

Human Resources Coordinator

Human resources coordinators, also called HR specialists, work within a company's HR department. Their job duties may include:

• recruiting new hires
• setting up job interviews
• onboarding and overseeing training programs for new employees
• processing payroll
• coordinating employee benefits

HR coordinators may specialize in a specific area of HR, such as payroll or benefits. They usually work under the department's HR manager.

Sales Team Leader

Sales team leaders are in charge of managing a team of salespeople. They may work in retail or sales environments. The usual job duties of a sales team leader include:

• recruiting new hires
• training new team members
• coaching and motivating their sales team
• setting sales goals
• preparing sales reports
• handling customer complaints

Management Analyst

Management analysts, also called management consultants, come into businesses and offer recommendations to help an organization improve its efficiency. Their job duties may include:

• analyzing budgets and financial data
• observing and gathering information about the organization, its work environment, and its problems
• interviewing employees and organizational leaders
• making recommendations based on the above

Many management analysts specialize in certain areas, like inventory control or sustainability, or specific fields, like healthcare.

Healthcare Positions

In addition to leadership roles in corporations and nonprofit organizations, a bachelor's organizational leadership degree program can lead to organizational management roles within healthcare facilities.

Healthcare Administrative Assistant

Healthcare administrative assistants do the administrative work within a healthcare setting. They're often the ones who check you in when you come in for a doctor's appointment or call you to schedule an appointment.

The job duties of a healthcare administrative assistant can vary depending on their work setting but often include:

• checking patients in for appointments
• scheduling appointments
• updating medical records
• communicate information, such as lab results or physician referrals
• filing insurance claims
• processing payments

Healthcare administrative assistants usually work under the guidance of medical office managers.

Medical Office Manager

Medical office managers oversee the operations within a medical office. Their job duties may include:

• hiring and training team members
• scheduling administrative assistants
• evaluating staff performance
• establishing and enforcing office policies and procedures
• working with vendors to obtain necessary supplies

While a bachelor's degree is usually sufficient for the role of medical office manager, candidates may need several years of experience in healthcare administration first.

Patient Services Coordinator

Patient service coordinators serve as go-betweens between patients and their families and the healthcare facility. They also work to help support patients and their families.

Depending on the facility, patient service coordinators often do a lot of the same things as administrative assistants. They may also do things like:

• advise patients on their insurance coverage
• provide patients with pamphlets or other materials that relate to the patient's condition or treatment
• help patients understand their treatment options
• evaluate the results of a patient's medical treatment

Careers With a Master's Degree in Organizational Leadership

For more advanced organizational leadership roles, you may need to complete a master's program, like a Master of Science in organizational leadership. Master's degrees are a type of graduate degree and can take anywhere from a year to three years to complete.

With a master's degree in organizational leadership, you may be eligible for various roles to lead businesses, healthcare organizations, and government agencies.

Corporate & Non-Profit Positions

A master's degree in organizational leadership can help you become an effective leader within many types of organizations. You can find executive positions on the board of directors and other leadership roles in large, for-profit businesses, as well as non-profit organizations.

Human Resources Manager

Human resource managers oversee a company's HR department. Their job duties may include:

• overseeing employee benefit programs
• overseeing recruitment and hiring
• developing training programs
• handling disputes between staff members
• advising other managers on employment law and other HR issues

Sales Manager

Like sales team leaders, sales managers usually work in a retail or sales setting. They're in charge of selling items to customers and ensuring the product or service reaches the customer.

The typical job duties of a sales manager often include:

• analyzing sales data
• coordinating training programs
• hiring new staff
• budgeting
• setting sales goals
• handling customer complaints

Depending on the project, project managers may be coordinating with other managers within the organization, like marketing managers or sales managers.

Project Manager

Project managers are in charge of overseeing specific projects within an organization. Their job duties may include:

• creating a plan for the project
• determining a schedule for the project and ensuring the project stays on schedule
• calculating a project's budget and making sure the project falls within that budget
• assembling a team for the project
• coordinating vendors or outside contractors for the project
• communicating with stakeholders about the project
• solving problems as they arise

Training and Development Manager

Training and development managers plan and coordinate programs for employee training and development. Their job duties often include:

• assessing an organization's training needs
• choosing course content and materials for training programs
• determining a budget for training programs
• coordinating scheduling for training programs
• evaluating the efficacy of training programs and updating these programs as needed.

Training and development managers often coordinate with managers of other departments to help determine the company's training and development needs.

Executive Director

Executive directors are senior managers within an organization. They typically work for nonprofit organizations and are the nonprofit equivalent of a CEO. Their job activities may include:

• establishing and implementing organizational goals and procedures
• managing general organizational activities
• overseeing financial and budgetary activities
• appointing department heads and managers
• identifying ways to improve performance and efficiency

Some organizations may have multiple executive directors for different departments, while smaller ones may have a single executive director.

Healthcare Positions

A master's degree in organizational leadership can also lead to various career paths in healthcare. We've listed a few of these below.

Healthcare Administrator

Healthcare administrators work behind the scenes to oversee operations within a healthcare setting. Their job duties may include:

• creating work schedules for employees
• hiring and training staff members
• maintaining records of supplies
• overseeing patient medical records
• working to improve patient outcomes

In a smaller setting, there may be only one healthcare administrator, but in a larger setting, there may be multiple with different areas of focus.

Director of Healthcare Operations

A director of healthcare operations, sometimes called a director of clinical operations, oversees the daily operations of a healthcare organization. This professional strives to ensure that the organization is delivering quality healthcare services. Job duties may include:

• developing and implementing policies and procedures
• managing the budget
• monitoring operational performance
• implementing quality assurance programs
• establishing information systems

Clinical Director

Clinical directors are a type of healthcare manager who specifically focuses on clinical operations and patient treatment. Their job duties often include:

• serving as a liaison between patients and their medical staff
• ensuring all departments are compliant with legal guidelines and standards
• organizing patient care programs
• performing periodic employee reviews
• sufficiently staffing the facility
• ensuring medical records are current

What Is the Job Outlook for Organizational Leadership Graduates?

The outlook for organizational leadership graduates can vary significantly depending on the industry you're in and the role you're applying for. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook over the next ten years for organizational leadership roles is as follows:

• executives: increase of 6%
• health services managers: increase of 29%
• HR managers: increase of 6%
• management analysts: increase of 11%
• sales managers: increase of 6%
• training and development managers: increase of 7%

Start Your Degree Today

If you're interested in pursuing a career in organizational leadership, explore the programs on Learn.org. Reach out to individual colleges and universities to learn more about their programs and start your degree today.