what is a chief operating officer coo 
the chief operating officer coo is a senior executive tasked with overseeing the day to day administrative and operational functions of a business the coo typically reports directly to the chief executive officer ceo and is considered to be second in the chain of command in some corporations the coo is known by other terms such as executive vice president of operations chief operations officer or operations director investopedia jiaqi zhouthe role of a chief operating officer coo the coo mainly focuses on executing the company s business plan according to the established business model while the ceo is more concerned with long term goals and the broader company outlook in other words the ceo devises plans while the coo implements them for instance when a company experiences a drop in market share the ceo might call for increased quality control in order to fortify its reputation among customers in this case the coo might carry out the ceo s mandate by instructing the human resources department to hire more quality control personnel the coo may also initiate the rollout of new product lines and may likewise be responsible for production research and development and marketing responsibilities of a cooa chief operating officer is responsible for the day to day operations of a company their responsibilities can include keep in mind that the role of a coo may vary from company to company according to each firm s needs depending on the ceo s preference the coo often handles a company s internal affairs while the ceo functions as the public face of the company and thereby handles all outward facing communication instead of having one or two skill sets most successful coos have multifaceted talents enabling them to adapt to different tasks and solve a range of issues in many cases a coo is specifically chosen to complement the skill sets of the sitting ceo in an entrepreneurial situation the coo often has more practical experience than the founding ceo who may have come up with an excellent concept but lacks the start up know how to launch a company and manage its early stages of development consequently coos often design operations strategies communicate policies to employees and help human resources hr build out core teams types of coosevery company is different and in a different stage of growth a new company will have very different needs than a company that has been around for 100 years and has a large market share in its industry depending on the company its needs its cycle stage and its unique characteristics the specific type of coo required to help it realize its goals will vary there are generally seven types of coos qualifications and skills of a cooa coo typically has extensive experience in the field within which a given company operates coos often work for at least 15 years climbing the corporate ladder this slow build helps prepare coos for their roles by letting them cultivate extensive experience in the practices policies and procedures of their chosen field also because they re traditionally responsible for directing multiple departments coos must be resourceful problem solvers and must possess strong leadership skills educationally coos typically hold bachelor s degrees at a minimum while often also holding master s in business administration mba degrees and other certifications 