A CEO (Chief Executive Officer) is the person in charge of the company and resides at the top of the executive ladder. A CEO may also be the president of the company, although there are some exceptions to this statement. In a public company, the CEO is also the board chairperson and chief decision-maker regarding the company's direction.. A CEO formulates the long-range plans that will increase the company's growth and revenues. In some of the smaller business settings a CEO may handle other duties like hiring employees, but they are most often only functioning with the higher-level operations on a daily basis.
Chief Information Officer
The Chief Information Officer (CIO) oversees the entire information technology department as well as the information systems. Usually the CIO develops and determines strategic methods of reaching the company's technology goals. The CIO reports to the CEO and may have a seat on the board of executives. A CIO delegates the technical aspects of his department to his subordinates.
His or her main responsibilities include suggesting the IT implementations needed by the company, seeing that the department reaches its goals and maintaining a prescribed department budget. Most CIOs will be in charge of helping the company use the Internet as part of the long-range goals. These executives will also have to know how to define and restructure their department's infrastructure in order to make it competitive with others.
Chief Financial Officer
The title of CFO is given to the person designated to be in charge of all of the financial concerns of a company. This person will manage and discuss quarterly reports in board meetings. Often the treasurer of the company, the CFO is usually considered second in importance to the CEO.
Chief Operating Officer
The COO (Chief Operating Officer), sometimes called the senior vice president, also stands at the top of the executive chain. Usually directly connected with daily operations, the COO can step in for the CEO in order to meet and maintain the company's production and operation quotas. The COO regularly reports to the Board of Directors to inform them of the company's performance.
A COO must be capable of determining and revising the policies and directives of a company when needed. The COO is the most visible executive to many of the subordinate employees.
Chief Visionary Officer
CVO (Chief Visionary Officer) is a high-level adviser who must possess a very in-depth understanding of the business and its organizational structure. A CVO will understand not only the current company structure, but he or she also will have the foresight of the company for years to come.
Chief Privacy Officer
The CPO (Chief Privacy Officer) manages a company's privacy laws and policies. Since the 1990s, law has mandated that all corporations must place someone in charge of privacy compliance. As data transfer and rulings about handling private information have increased, it has become necessary to have a leader and a department that address privacy issues.
Conclusion
Each organization possesses a unique structure that may or may not include all of these executive job titles. Familiarizing yourself with the “alphabet-speak” of these positions will help you focus your job search and guide you to the top.