COO resume example

What recruiters look for

• Defined scope: the functions that report to you (operations, supply chain, customer service, IT, HR) and the number of sites, people and budget dollars.
• Productivity and cost: cost per unit, labor productivity, margin. COOs are judged on how efficiently growth is delivered.
• Scaling: new sites, markets or product lines opened on time and at target performance.
• Capital decisions: automation or facility investments with their payback. Boards want a COO who spends capital carefully.
• Safety and people: injury rates, turnover and leaders developed. In large operations these are business results.
• A clear relationship with the CEO: the COO is often the CEO’s successor or counterweight. Show you can run the business day to day.

Writing the summary

Name your industry, the size of the operation (sites, people, revenue) and the kind of operational change you deliver. One credential, such as a Black Belt or an engineering degree, is enough. If you are a CEO successor candidate, say so in your cover note rather than the summary.

Bullet points that work

Strong lines for this role, beyond the ones in the example. Borrow the shape and put in your own numbers.

• Consolidated 5 regional warehouses into 2 automated hubs, cutting network cost by $18 million a year with no drop in service levels.
• Introduced daily tiered huddles and visual management at 14 sites; on-time delivery rose from 91% to 98.5%.
• Renegotiated parcel and freight contracts worth $95 million a year, saving 11% in the first year.
• Cut frontline turnover from 95% to 54% with predictable scheduling, a pay-for-skills ladder and a site-level retention scorecard.
• Built the S&OP process that brought forecast accuracy at item level from 62% to 81%.
• Led the integration of an acquired 4-site operator, standardizing processes and systems in 9 months.
• Reduced customer service contacts per 1,000 orders from 48 to 21 by fixing the top 10 root causes.
• Launched a returns processing operation that recovered $12 million a year in resellable inventory.
• Took a new 600,000 square foot site from lease signing to first shipment in 7 months.
• Set up an operations analytics team of 6 whose labor model now plans staffing for every shift in the network.

Skills to list

Certifications and licenses worth listing

• ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) or Master Black Belt: widely recognized in manufacturing, logistics and healthcare operations.
• ASCM Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) or CPIM: relevant for supply-chain-heavy COO roles.
• Project Management Professional (PMP): useful if the role includes large capital or systems programs.
• OSHA 30-Hour General Industry: worth a mention in industrial operations, though at this level safety results matter more than the card.

Length and format

Two pages. Start your current role with a one-line scope statement (functions, sites, people, budget), then four or five outcome bullets. Earlier site-level jobs show the operational foundation; keep them to a line or two each. Certifications go in their own short section.

Common mistakes

• Leaving the scope vague. “Oversaw operations” could mean one warehouse or forty.
• Listing improvement projects without their financial result. Tie productivity and quality gains to cost or margin.
• Describing capital spend without payback or return. Boards approve COO investments on that number.
• Ignoring people results in a labor-heavy business. Turnover and safety are often the biggest cost levers.
• Writing a VP-level resume: site results only, with nothing on strategy, the CEO relationship or cross-functional leadership.