The chief executive officer (CEO) is considered the highest position in a company, unless the CEO is not the president of the board of directors. Then, the president will hold the highest position in the company, followed by the CEO. The COO is the director of operations. Sometimes, the COO is referred to as the “Vice President of Operations”.
The job involves managing the daily administration of the organization. This person often acts as the CEO's right hand. The chief operating officer could oversee production, sales, marketing, human resources, or all of the above. In other companies, the mission of the chief operating officer focuses on a specific business need, described by The Balance.
In addition, many companies are now naming their principal diversity leadership position (CDO) as their principal diversity leadership position. Many companies also have a chief financial officer, chief operating officer (COO), and other positions of responsibility, such as chief legal officer (CLO), chief strategy officer (CSO), marketing director (CMO), etc. For example, the positions of chief auditing officer (CAE), director of procurement (CPO), and chief risk officer (CRO) are often found in many types of financial services companies.
