COO (Chief Operations Officer)

Chief Operations Officer, sometimes also Chief Operating Officer. The acronym COO is used alternatively instead of the concept Operations Director. The designation COO is mainly used in American English; in British English the same position is referred to as Operations Director (synonym Executing director). In other countries, both terms are used.

COO is one of the top managers in the organization. It is a person responsible for the operation of the organization, its everyday operation. COO is, besides the CEO and CFO the top manager in the organization. COO’s task is to plan, lead, organize, make decisions and control the people, processes and information in everyday operation. COO delegates a part of his authorities and responsibilities to other senior executives or managers of lower levels.

Together with the COO, the top management usually includes:

• Director General, also uses the acronym CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
• Director of Finance, also uses the acronym CFO (Chief Financial Officer)
• Director of ICT, also uses the abbreviation CIO (Chief Information Officer)
• Director of Personnel, also uses the acronym CHRO (Chief Human Resources Officer)
• Director of Business, also uses the acronym CSO (Chief Sales Officer)

As for the COO, the same as any other manager must meet the appropriate level of managerial skills and can act in more managerial roles.