Chief Operating Officer: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire a Chief Operating Officer?

The benefits of hiring a Chief Operating Officer largely depend on the industry. But, in general, they can help to:

• Manage daily operations
• Carry out CEO directives
• Be the primary communicator between other C-level execs, managers and the CEO

Skills to look for in a great Chief Operating Officer

A great Chief Operating Officer candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• A Bachelor’s degree or higher in business or the specific industry they’ll be working in
• Senior level management experience
• Enterprise software such as ERP
• Project management and team leadership experience
• Creative thinking
• Excellent communication skills

Writing a Chief Operating Officer job description

A thoughtful description is important for attracting qualified Chief Operating Officer candidates. A well written Chief Operating Officer job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities, and both the required and preferred skills for the position.

Consider including keywords that job seekers are using to search for Chief Operating Officer jobs, such as:

• Chief Operating Officer
• COO
• Director of Operations

Interviewing Chief Operating Officer candidates

Strong candidates for Chief Operating Officer positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Prior leadership and management experience
• Best practices for designing and implementing business strategies throughout the enterprise
• The most prominent KPIs and what actionable insight do they provide

See our list of interview questions for more examples.