[STARTUP] Business Operations: Organizational Chart — CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (COO)

A Chief Operating Officer (COO) is tasked with the day-to-day administration and operation of the business. Typically, the COO reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and is considered second in command. In some corporations, the COO is also known as the Executive Vice President of Operations.

While a CEO is concerned with long term business goals and the outlook for a company, the COO’s focus is executing the company’s business plans according to its business model. COOs are often responsible for the execution of the strategies proposed by the CEO and the rest of the company’s senior leadership. In an entrepreneurial situation, the COO may have significantly more experience than the CEO, who may be the founder of the company. In this circumstance, the COO is expected to mentor the CEO during the early stages of the business’s development. The common day-to-day responsibilities of a COO include overseeing the company’s day-to-day operations, daily communication with the CEO, creating operations strategies and policies, communicating operational strategies to employees, building employee alignment with company goals, and overseeing human resource development.