A chief operating officer (COO) is another c-level member of companies’ boards. As the name suggests, a COO is responsible for keeping an eye on all corporate operations.
Reporting to the CEO, the COO is also responsible for planning and reformulating operations strategy and policies within the company. If a new approach needs considering, that will have to go through the board for approval.
COOs are usually seen as the next one in the succession line to a CEO, however, there is no obligation to make a COO a CEO if the current CEO leaves the company.
The average salary of a COO in the UK in 2016 is £145,000, an increase from £97,500 in 2014, according to IT Jobs Watch.
Some of the most sought after skills on the website regarding COOs include, but are not limited to, finance, banking, e-commerce, CRM, data visualisation, cloud, stakeholder management, and supplier management.
In the UK, one of the most valued qualifications in the COO CV is a ISEB certification. These are issued by the BCS Professional Certification body, part of the British Computer Society.
