COO (Chief Operating Officer)

The COO (Chief Operating Officer), known in French as directeur des opérations, is the executive responsible for leading the operations entrusted to them. They translate the company’s objectives into operational priorities, allocate the resources needed and track results with the managers concerned. Their responsibilities depend on the business, sector and organisation: the title does not carry the same responsibilities everywhere.

The CEO leads the company as a whole. The COO works within an area of responsibility agreed with the CEO, which may involve coordinating several activities or sites. It is therefore necessary to specify what they can decide independently, which matters they refer to the CEO and what information they report. The title does not automatically make them the company’s second-in-command.

Their work combines financial performance, organisation and management. They review results, decide how to allocate resources within their decision-making authority and adjust responsibilities when plans prove difficult to implement. They may prepare an investment proposal with other executives without having final approval authority. The COO title alone does not tell you which teams they lead. Those teams need to be specified.

Depending on the organisation, an Operations Manager may handle the day-to-day delivery of a narrower range of activities.

Leading operations means directing efforts towards the company’s objectives. A team may improve its results without the company’s performance improving. The COO must therefore connect the indicators tracked by teams to decisions affecting all the activities they oversee: which priorities should be maintained, how should resources be reallocated and what corrective action is needed?

The choice of indicators is crucial. For a dashboard to support decisions, managers must understand the variances they see and identify the actions to take. When defining the role, ask which results each manager must explain, what information they can draw on and who decides when objectives conflict. Collecting more measures without defining these responsibilities risks leaving disagreements unresolved.

Hypothetical example: two teams request the same resources for projects described as priorities. Each team makes the case for an objective that is relevant to its own work. The COO examines how each project contributes to shared objectives, the constraints involved and the consequences of a delay. They recommend which project to launch first, or decide if they have the authority to do so, then oversee the implementation of that choice.

Management is another challenge. If the COO routinely takes over managers’ day-to-day decisions, they risk devoting less attention to coordinating work between those managers. Clarifying which decisions are delegated helps establish when the COO should intervene: to resolve a problem that extends beyond one team, support a manager or review a shared process.

Finally, a poorly defined role can make a hire disappointing despite a strong track record. An executive expected to lead a transformation must have responsibilities and authority that match that expectation. Before setting objectives, specify the resources they can draw on, including budgets and teams, the decisions reserved for the CEO and the responsibilities of other executives. The complexity of this coordination matters more than an arbitrary headcount threshold.

• Turn the company’s objectives into operational plans with clear priorities and named people responsible.
• Allocate the resources needed to implement plans across the activities they oversee.
• Analyse performance indicators and take corrective action suited to the variances identified.
• Coordinate the relevant activities and sites so that they contribute to shared objectives.
• Make budget allocation decisions and prepare investment proposals with other executives, within their delegated authority.
• Define managers’ responsibilities and delegate day-to-day decisions within their areas of responsibility.
• Help managers develop their teams’ ability to carry out the activities entrusted to them.

Studies in management, business or engineering can prepare someone for certain aspects of the COO role. They provide a useful grounding for understanding the business, analysing financial choices or structuring projects. No single qualification should be required for every role: the relevant knowledge and skills depend on the operations to be led.

Previous experience matters for the responsibilities it has involved. A background in operational management can provide opportunities to manage resources, monitor an activity and support teams. Coordinating several activities, making decisions independently and solving problems with other managers can prepare someone to take responsibility for more activities.

Moving into a COO role also requires an understanding of the effects of organisational or process changes beyond one’s original team. Knowledge of one activity must then be combined with the ability to coordinate activities led by different managers.

This progression involves delegating day-to-day delivery to managers. The future COO can then focus on decisions that warrant their level of responsibility. These skills develop through the work undertaken, beyond a succession of job titles.

To assess a COO candidate, you can follow these steps, adapting them to the responsibilities and decisions you intend to entrust to them.

1. Define the criteria for the role

Establish a shared assessment framework before the interviews: operational diagnosis, financial performance management, coordination between departments, delegation and communication. For each criterion, describe a situation the person must be able to handle.

Specify which decisions can be made independently and which matters must be referred to the CEO. Adjust the importance of each criterion to your needs: transformation, turnaround or coordination of existing activities. The same job title does not guarantee comparable experience.

2. Examine a past achievement in detail

Ask the candidate to describe an operational problem they took responsibility for. Ask them to explain the context, the information available, their diagnosis and the options considered.

Distinguish their decisions from those made collectively. Ask which indicators guided action, which responsibilities were delegated and what changed after the initial observations.

A strong answer connects choices to constraints and acknowledges the limits of the candidate’s involvement. An answer focused on an overall result without explaining their personal contribution warrants further exploration.

3. Explore a trade-off relevant to the role

Hypothetical example: present two operational projects that need the same resources but have different objectives and constraints. Ask the candidate to explain how they would prepare for the decision.

Let them identify missing information before proposing a solution. Invite them to compare the options, their costs and benefits, then explain the consequences for the teams.

Look at the connection between the chosen priority and the overall objective. Ask what would justify revisiting the decision and which indicators would help identify that need.

An explicit approach that distinguishes facts, assumptions and choices is a positive sign. An immediate solution that ignores constraints or assumes resources the company does not have is a warning sign.

4. Explore management and communication

Ask how the candidate would divide responsibilities with the managers concerned. Ask them to specify which decisions they would leave to those managers, what information they would expect and which situations would require their intervention.

Discuss a past disagreement between managers. Examine how the candidate listened to expectations, explained their decision and organised the next steps. Assess their ability to make a decision understandable without glossing over the difficulties.

Distinguish useful oversight from routinely taking over delivery. If the candidate personally resolves every problem presented, explore how they develop teams’ autonomy.

5. Cross-check observations before deciding

With the candidate’s agreement, check the responsibilities described with relevant professional referees. Seek to understand their actual autonomy, how they worked with other managers and the limits of their responsibilities.

Bring the observations together in the initial assessment framework. Separate an observed skill from a general impression and make any remaining uncertainties explicit.

If your team lacks the necessary operational expertise, involve an executive or expert with experience in the activities concerned. Ask them to assess the trade-offs, while keeping the hiring decision with the relevant leadership.