Chief Operating Officer Job Description Samples and Organizational Charts
COO roles—and the organizational structures in which COOs operate—are highly varied across organizations and even within organizations over time. The way a COO’s responsibilities are defined differs significantly depending on the organization’s strategic imperatives, design, history, and culture, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the executive director, COO, and other key leaders. Nevertheless, most COO positions can be categorized under one of three basic models, and the sample job descriptions posted here correspond to these three models:
COO Job Description Sample 1: Operations/Administration-focused COO
The COO oversees all operational and administrative functions
In this job description, the COO oversees the functions that support the programs but do not relate directly to program participants, and other senior managers are responsible for the programs themselves.
COO Job Description Sample 2: Program-focused COO
The COO oversees all programs
In contrast to the first job description, some COOs are responsible primarily for programs, while the ED, the chief financial officer, or another senior executive oversees the more administrative functions.
COO Job Description Sample 3: Generalist COO
The COO oversees all internal functions
This third job description is the broadest: the COO oversees everything internal, freeing up the ED to focus on external matters such as fundraising, public relations, and partnerships.
COO-track job description samples
Vice President, Finance and Operations Job Description Sample
Operations/Administration focused
While the emphasis of this role is finance, it includes responsibilities for managing a breadth of staff functions and requires an individual who is both strategic and tactical.
Vice President, Programs Job Description Sample
Operations/Program focused
This role oversees the general management of a program area and includes not only program development, delivery and evaluation but also fundraising, budget, knowledge management, and all external relationship management.
Deputy Director Job Description Sample
Operations/Internally focused
This job description is the broadest of the COO-track positions: the role oversees everything internal, freeing up the executive director to focus on external matters such as fundraising, public relations, and partnerships.
COO Organizational Charts
Three sample organizational charts illustrate how these models might fit into the structure of an organization's senior management team. Needless to say, there are many possible variations.
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Editor’s note: this explanation is drawn from "The Nonprofit Chief Operating Officer," which is also available on this site and discusses in more depth these three models and the COO role generally. More nonprofit job descriptions are can be found at "Nonprofit Job Description Samples," which provides samples of job descriptions for different senior-level management positions.
Sample COO Organizational Charts
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