Program duration
Language of instruction
Next Intake
Tuition Fee
15 ECTS
Format
Make AI, Data and Automation Work in Operations Through KLU’s Operations Mindset
Designed for professionals who want to lead digitalization, data, and AI in operations-intensive organizations. The Digital Operations certificate offers seats in the KLU Part-Time MBA specialization in Digital Operations, taught alongside KLU MBA participants. You leave with a structured approach to digital foundations, cross-functional decision-making, cybersecurity, procurement, and operational impact at scale.
The format is built for working professionals, combining study blocks, KLU resident faculty and external experts, and applied learning tied to participants' own organizational challenges.
This Program Is For
- Operations and supply chain managers
- IT and technology leaders seeking supply chain fluency
- Digital transformation, process excellence, and business process managers driving operational change
- Professionals leading AI, data, automation, or digital strategy initiatives
- Managers responsible for procurement, logistics, or operational performance improvement
Typical experience level: 3–8 years of professional experience, with flexibility for high-potential candidates with demonstrated leadership exposure.
From Functional Operator to Digital Operations Leader
Upon completion, you will be able to:
- Use heterogeneous data sources to influence decision speed and organizational performance
- Design governance mechanisms that improve data-driven decision-making
- Describe intelligent robotic automation and its impact on the transformation of businesses
- Understand the threat of cyber risks in the context of supply chain resilience and risk management
- Get an overview of the latest developments in freight transport and digital innovation
- Evaluate the financial impact of supply chain decisions on ROI, costs, and working capital
- Align cross-functional decisions across purchasing, operations, supply chain planning, and sales
- Design purchasing strategies and assess approaches towards working with suppliers
What Makes This Program Different
KLU's Operations Mindset connects digital strategy to operational reality. This program is built around four principles:
Built for execution: frameworks tied to applied digital transformation in your organization
Operations-intensive industry focus: logistics, manufacturing, and supply chain as the default context — not generic digital management
Low disruption, high impact: study blocks designed for working professionals
Applied Impact Challenge: choose a real digital transformation question from your organization that you carry through the program and present at the Impact Festival alongside your MBA peers
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Program Overview
Duration: 11 months (December 2026 – November 2027)
Format: Part-time, 7 two-day study blocks (14 attendance days in total) plus optional Colombia Study Trip (1 week)
Note: Participants join the KLU Part-Time MBA specialization in Digital Operations and learn alongside MBA participants.
Credits: 15 ECTS
Language: English
Location: KLU Campus, Hamburg
Completion credential: KLU Executive Education Certificate; credits transferable toward the KLU Part-Time MBA
How the 15 ECTS Are Earned
Participants earn a total of 15 ECTS upon successful completion of the program. The Applied Impact Challenge concludes with a presentation at the Impact Festival alongside KLU MBA peers.
Participants choose between two paths to develop their Applied Impact Challenge:
Path A – Colombia Study Trip (optional, recommended)
Join the cohort on our Colombia Study Trip to Bogotá (Mar 13–20, 2027). Engage with logistics and operations practice in a Latin American context through visits, case discussions, and faculty-led reflection. Insights from the trip directly feed your Applied Impact Challenge work.
Path B – Extended Applied Impact Challenge
For participants who can't travel or prefer a desk-based path, the Applied Impact Challenge can be deepened through additional applied research and reflection on your own organization's challenge. The festival presentation is required either way.
Both paths award the same 1 ECTS toward the certificate. Choose the path that fits your circumstances and learning goals.
Curriculum
Total: 15 ECTS.
| Course | Faculty | Dates | ECTS |
| Dual Transformation Keynote + Digital Foundations in Supply Chains | Prof. Dr. Tilman Eichstaedt (External) | Dec 13–14, 2026 | 2 |
| Creating Impact with SCM | Prof. Dr. Kai Hoberg | Feb 28 – Mar 1, 2027 | 2 |
| Colombia Study trip | Gordon Wilmsmeier | Mar 13-20, 2027 | 1 |
| The Supply Ecosystem & Digital Procurement | Prof. Dr. Stephan Wagner (External) | Apr 25–26, 2027 | 2 |
| Cybersecurity for Connected Supply Chains | Prof. Dr. Kai Hoberg | Jun 6, 2027 | 1 |
| Data-Driven Organizational Design | Prof. Dr. Henrik Leopold | Jun 7, 2027 | 1 |
| Digital Freight Transport & Network Operation | Prof. Dr. Hanno Friedrich | Sep 5-6, 2027 | 2 |
| Managing Cross-Functional Operations | Prof. Dr. Sandra Transchel | Oct 8-9, 2027 | 2 |
| Leadership for Future-Proof Organizations | Prof. Dr. Niels Van Quaquebeke | Nov 14, 2027 | 1 |
| Applied Impact Challenge (incl. Impact Festival) | Prof. Dr. Brooke Gazdag | Nov 15, 2027 | 1 |
Please note: The dates are fixed; the exact order of topics is subject to change.
Optional: Colombia Study Trip (Bogotá) – Mar 13–20, 2027 (Path A)
Alternative: Path B with Extended Applied Impact Challenge (without travel, see Program Overview).
Faculty
Faculty are KLU resident faculty and selected external experts who teach in the corresponding MBA specialization.
Associate Professor of Freight Transportation - Modelling and Policy
Associate Professor of Management & Academic Director of Executive Education
Professor of Supply Chain and Operations Strategy, Academic Director of MSc Global Logistics (TriCon-Track)
Professor of Data Science and Business Intelligence & Head of Department of Operations and Technology
Professor of Supply Chain and Operations Management
Direktor Executive MBA ETH SCM Department Management, Technology and Economics, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
Associate Professor of Shipping and Global Logistics, Director of the Hapag-Lloyd Center for Shipping and Global Logistics (CSGL)
Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior
Note: Final faculty allocation and module sequencing may vary by cohort, calendar, and program customization.
How to Apply
Admissions
Eligibility Criteria
Recommended Profile:
Strong English proficiency. 3–8 years of professional experience, ideally with leadership exposure or digital/operational transformation responsibility. Bachelor's degree typically expected; demonstrated leadership trajectory may compensate.
Application Process
- Submit Registration: Complete the online registration form, including a short motivation statement and CV.
- Get-to-know call: Conversation with the Program Manager and/or Academic Director about goals, fit, and program expectations.
- Confirmation: You receive your seat confirmation, onboarding pack, and access to the participant Moodle module.
- Program Onboarding: Pre-program reading, introduction to the Applied Impact Challenge, and welcome to the cohort.
Tuition Fee
Path A (incl. Colombia Study Trip): 13,400 EUR
Path B (Extended Applied Impact Challenge): 10,900 EUR
What’s included
- All course materials and readings
- KLU Executive Education Certificate (15 ECTS)
- Applied Impact Challenge mentoring and Impact Festival presentation
- Group coaching support across the program
- Refreshments during course days
- Welcome reception and graduation ceremony
- Library access
- Inclusion in the KLU Executive Education Alumni network
- Colombia Study Trip (Path A): Hotel accommodation with breakfast, transportation in Bogotá, program design and coordination and some social events included
- The Colombia Study Trip is recognized in Hamburg* as Educational Leave (5 days) – documents can be provided by the Program Manager
* to be checked individually for other German states
What you organize (and pay separately)
- Accommodation in Hamburg
- Meals outside provided refreshments
- Travel to and from KLU campus
- Colombia Study Trip (Path A): travel to and from Colombia and any visa requirements (if applicable) are not included and must be arranged by the participant.
Return on Investment
For Participants
- Build a structured, research-grounded approach to digital operations and AI in supply chains
- Develop the confidence to lead digital transformation conversations across functions
- Sharpen judgment on cybersecurity, data, automation, and platform decisions
- Gain a holistic perspective across operations, technology, and organizational design
- Take the KLU Operations Mindset edge into your career
For Organizations
- Immediate application: each participant carries a real digital transformation challenge from your organization
- Roadmap delivery: Applied Impact Challenge presentation gives you a structured proposal
- Team alignment: develops a shared digital and operational vocabulary across leaders
- Leadership development: prepares mid-career professionals for cross-functional digital operations leadership
Company Sponsors
Many participants attend with full or partial company sponsorship. KLU works with employers to make participation straightforward and impactful.
Corporate options:
- Individual enrollment with employer billing and coordinated invoicing
- Group bookings with options for tailored content extensions
- Company-specific cohorts for organizations sending multiple participants
For corporate inquiries, contact: professional@klu.org
Your Road to MBA
The Digital Operations certificate awards 15 ECTS as part of the KLU Executive Education Certificate. The Applied Impact Challenge is a deliverable you carry forward – a real organizational proposal you've worked on alongside MBA peers, scoped to your own operational context.
Credits earned through the certificate are transferable toward the KLU Part-Time MBA, subject to academic approval. As an alum of the program, you also have access to the KLU Executive Education alumni network – a community of practitioners across logistics, supply chain, and operations leadership.
Many of our certificate participants continue their journey through the MBA. The certificate is both a standalone credential and a structured first step.
FAQ
The Digital Operations certificate is a 15 ECTS credential earned in 11 months, focused on the Digital Operations specialization of our MBA. The MBA is a 60 ECTS degree completed over 18 months covering the full management portfolio. Credits from this certificate can transfer toward the MBA if you decide to continue.
Every participant works on a real challenge from their own organization throughout the program and presents it at the Impact Festival alongside MBA peers. The 1 ECTS for this can be earned through one of two paths: (a) joining the optional Colombia Study Trip, where you engage with logistics and operations practice in a Latin American context and apply insights to your challenge; or (b) extended applied research and reflection on your own organization's challenge without traveling. Both paths conclude with the festival presentation. Both award the same 1 ECTS.
Yes. The program is delivered in seven two-day study blocks across 14 attendance days, specifically designed for working professionals. Most participants take 6–8 vacation days across the program, or use time for time; participants choosing the Colombia Study Trip add one week (educational leave might apply).
We typically look for 3–8 years of professional experience with leadership exposure or digital/operational transformation responsibility. Strong candidates outside that range are considered case by case.
No. The program welcomes operations and supply chain professionals who want to lead digital transformation. Technical practitioners on the other hand deepen their operational and supply chain context.
All instruction is in English. Group discussion is in English, and German business context is integrated where relevant.
Yes. We work directly with sponsoring organizations on billing, support materials, and group bookings.
A KLU Executive Education Certificate worth 15 ECTS, transferable toward the KLU Part-Time MBA subject to academic approval.
You study alongside KLU MBA participants in the Digital Operations specialization, plus other certificate participants. Cohorts span industries (logistics, manufacturing, retail, tech) and roles (supply chain, operations, IT, data, procurement).
Yes. Campus visits are welcome. Please contact the Program Manager to arrange.
Yes. The tuition fee may be tax-deductible as professional education, travel expenses can be included. Please consult your tax advisor for advice specific to your situation.
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