Chief Operating Officer Job Description

Are you tasked with writing the job description for your new Chief Operating Officer (COO) and need to know the main responsibilities of a Chief Operating Officer, fast? A Chief Operating Officer is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day business operations of a company, ensuring everyone has what they need to do their job.

Scroll down for our free Chief Operating Officer job description.

What is in a Chief Operating Officer's Job Description?

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is in charge of managing an organisation's daily operations while collaborating with senior management to develop a growth strategy. The COO must be tactical, a leader, and a visionary who can put processes in place to fulfil the company's main objectives.

Key responsibilities of a Chief Operating Officer include:

Being responsible for the management of business operations
Forming the vision of how a company should operate in the long term
Hiring and training senior members of operations staff
Overseeing the way departments communicate and work together
Creating and sticking to budgets for operations

Interview questions available

Also see our Chief Operating Officer Interview Questions

Chief Operating Officer Job Description Example

Be clear in your description. Know the tasks of the role and ideally who the candidate should be.
This means you won’t need to read through too many CVs to find your superstar.
You might be tempted to use bullet points in this section, but resist the urge! Tell a story, show off all the cool things they would be responsible for, and get them excited to apply.
You should be more focused on your company culture and what your mission is, instead of their daily tasks.

About the role

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Are you able to manage the operations of a company and its various departments, including production, distribution, and marketing? Can you ensure these departments all work together smoothly, in order to progress towards a company’s mission or targets?

We’re looking for a new Chief Operating Officer to help smooth out operations on a company-wide level. You’ll be joining our talented team, with stakeholders all across the business. You’ll work with other C-Level team members to ensure each department follows the strategy, and bring on new talent to help towards these goals.

You’ll be challenged with reporting on the company's progress towards our mission, streamlining processes, and more. Does this sound like something you’re interested in? Get in touch today to find out more.

This section is all about your candidate's experience and responsibilities. You should outline very clearly what they should expect from the job role, not from the company itself.
You should use language that speaks to the candidate directly, use of “you”, “we” and “our” are all positives.
Hard skills in this section are important, but don’t overlook the significance of soft skills, like communication and being a team player, these can make a huge difference to the way people work alongside each other and gel professionally.
What do you believe in, and what are your core values?

Chief Operating Officer Responsibilities

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Remember that not all of these duties will apply to your specific Chief Operating Officer position; they are just examples of Chief Operating Officer duties. Make sure to revise and supplement these as required to ensure accuracy for your board-level position.

• Planning, assigning, and overseeing budgets for the operations team
• Advising the CEO and the board on how different departments can work together more effectively
• Reporting on progress towards targets and company goals
• Supervising and managing staff in the operations department
• Helping to interview, onboard, and train senior members of the operations team
• Overseeing any collaborations with external operations stakeholders
• Providing insights into industry processes

This section is essential to finding the candidate with the skills and qualifications that will help them in their job role.
This should be clear and concise and set boundaries for submissions.
The more information you add to your skills section, the less candidates you’ll have to sift through to find the right one.
This would waste both your time and the potential candidate so avoid being wordy as much as possible. Think about what would be an essential part of this role, and what would the applicant need to be successful in the job?

Chief Operating Officer Requirements

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Please keep in mind that not all of these Chief Operating Officer qualifications will apply to your particular Chief Operating Officer job posting. Edit the points to suit the requirements of your business.

• Relevant business operations qualifications
• 10+ years in a relevant senior business position
• Experience managing and advising an operations team
• Proven experience helping to restructure or improve a company’s operations
• Ability to negotiate and oversee contracts with high-level operations stakeholders
• Extensive knowledge of industry trends
• Knowledge of key players in the industry
• Experience in managing a sizeable budget

Need inspiration?

Your job description will not attract talent all on its own. So when putting together your job post, be sure to show what it's like working at your company not just textually but visually!

Remember, attracting a candidate is just as much about your company culture as the job role itself. Make sure to include points that make you seem desirable too!
Add photos that show off your office space, team events and your team having a great time.
Maybe you could include a video of some team members explaining why they love coming to work, or why they like their role.
Include a grid of attractive perks with some nice illustrations. Maybe you have unlimited holidays, or you have an attractive parental leave cover - show off!
Why not embed your company's Instagram feed to give a IRL overview of the day-to-day.