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How to hire a chief executive officer and operator

Chief executive officer and operator hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring chief executive officer and operators in the United States:

  • There are currently 26,852 chief executive officer and operators in the US, as well as 177,186 job openings.
  • Chief executive officer and operators are in the highest demand in Baltimore, MD, with 2 current job openings.
  • The median cost to hire a chief executive officer and operator is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new chief executive officer and operator to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a chief executive officer and operator, step by step

To hire a chief executive officer and operator, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire a chief executive officer and operator:

Here's a step-by-step chief executive officer and operator hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a chief executive officer and operator job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new chief executive officer and operator
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a chief executive officer and operator do?

Chief executive officers and operators are professionals who lead people in the management and operation of businesses. A chief executive officer (CEO) gets the highest rank executive position in the company. CEOs make big corporate decisions, act as the main point of communication, and manage the company's resources and operations. Meanwhile, chief operating officers (COOs) take responsibility for the daily operations of the company.

Learn more about the specifics of what a chief executive officer and operator does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your chief executive officer and operator job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a chief executive officer and operator for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    A chief executive officer and operator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, chief executive officer and operators from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

    The following list breaks down different types of chief executive officer and operators and their corresponding salaries.

    Type of Chief Executive Officer And OperatorDescriptionHourly rate
    Chief Executive Officer And OperatorTop executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.$45-144
    Operations Vice PresidentThe responsibilities of an operations vice president will revolve around overseeing business operations and ensuring workforce and workflow efficiency through evaluations and providing strategic plans that would drive the company to meet its vision and mission. An operations vice president, in adherence to the company policies and regulations, also has the power to hire and train employees, even to execute disciplinary actions such as termination or suspension when necessary... Show more$50-119
    Division DirectorA division director is a professional who is responsible for managing team members and business operations that are assigned in his/her or her division to achieve the goals of a company. Division directors are required to evaluate division performance and ensure that the team's work complies with the company policies and procedures... Show more$32-102
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Financial Management
    • Regulatory Compliance
    • Oversight
    • Business Development
    • Payroll
    • Strategic Partnerships
    • R
    • Product Development
    • Business Plan
    • Logistics
    • Human Resources
    • Healthcare
    • Strategic Plan
    • A/P
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Establish, manage and coordinate activities of this start-up management company specializing in turning around trouble health insurance plans.
    • Position organization to gain market share through product innovation and drive financial performance through rigorous planning and oversight.
    • Provide strategic vision and direct management oversight for the organization's operational results, fiscal management, and risk management.
    • Model allows all levels of organization to present innovative ideas to improve overall operations and ultimately serve patients more effectively.
    • Web hosting, site design, HTML, server system management.
    • Design site, create html pages, encode videos, and upload content.
    More chief executive officer and operator duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your chief executive officer and operator job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A chief executive officer and operator salary can vary based on several factors:
    • Location. For example, chief executive officer and operators' average salary in mississippi is 54% less than in district of columbia.
    • Seniority. Entry-level chief executive officer and operators earn 68% less than senior-level chief executive officer and operators.
    • Certifications. A chief executive officer and operator with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a chief executive officer and operator's salary.

    Average chief executive officer and operator salary

    $169,303yearly

    $81.40 hourly rate

    Entry-level chief executive officer and operator salary
    $95,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 16, 2025

    Average chief executive officer and operator salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1New York$197,514$95
    2New Jersey$190,471$92
    3Massachusetts$176,921$85
    4California$173,206$83
    5Texas$165,294$79
    6Pennsylvania$147,799$71
    7Michigan$142,593$69
    8Florida$137,726$66
    9Minnesota$117,196$56

    Average chief executive officer and operator salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1BNY Mellon$188,602$90.67365
    2Accenture$174,589$83.94123
    3Carlson Companies$154,883$74.46
    4CVS Health$146,822$70.59248
    5LifeWays$136,877$65.81
    6Cigna$113,142$54.4046
    7Universal Health Services$102,930$49.4984
  4. Writing a chief executive officer and operator job description

    A job description for a chief executive officer and operator role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a chief executive officer and operator job description:

    Chief executive officer and operator job description example

    Who we are looking for

    In this role you'll have the opportunity to be a strategic thought partner to our Chief Marketing Officer and her leadership team. You'll execute the Global Marketing leadership operating rhythm to ensure close alignment across the team. You will build a deep understanding of each team's expertise business model, play a key role in driving strategic department wide initiatives, and deliver on strategic goals in an evolving organization. This is a business critical role as Marketing continues to deepen its impact, engage with the team members, and ensure alignment across all our corporate and business partners.

    Why this role is important to us

    At State Street, our purpose is to help create better outcomes for the world's investors and the people they serve. As part of our Global Marketing organization, you will join a team of brand, marketing, design and communication experts who build and protect State Street's image through campaigns and communications that bring our purpose to life.

    If you are looking to make your mark in a vital and dynamic industry - and work with people who are creating the future of State Street - join us!

    What you will be responsible for

    As Chief Administrative Officer, MD you will:
    • Drive strategic projects that have a horizontal reach across the verticals delivering impact for Global Marketing. This will mean you will help identify and contribute to the planning and execution of strategic special projects
    • Lead cross-functional meetings, partnering with leaders to build and refine the way we report on progress, rethinking the metrics we use to define success, and ensuring it is adaptable to increasing growth and complexity
    • Assist the CMO and the leadership team with managing information flow and leading the analysis, decision-making, communication, and tracking of key projects and initiatives
    • Develop and manage ongoing communications and follow-ups with the Board of Directors/senior leadership, client presentations, key internal partners, and employees
    • Own the execution and outcomes of key leadership meetings by managing agendas, developing decks, delivering pre-reads, and ensuring clear action items post-meeting
    • Develop a deep understanding and connection to the employees focused on upskilling talent, integrating a diverse workforce, leading the promotion process, establishing and leading employee events, communications, and identify areas of effectiveness and efficiency and track them across our global employee footprint
    • Manage the budget; aligning people, process and technology investments across each vertical and ensure tracking
    • Partner closely with HR Business Partner(s) responsible for strategic imperatives as it relates to organizational management; includes leading workforce optimization discussions


    What we value

    These skills will help you succeed in this role:

    Has a successful track record in a chief of staff/CAO capacity, commercial strategy or operations role, with proven ability in executive-level advising and cross-functional collaboration to drive and create change

    Exhibits deep understanding on the importance of effectiveness and efficiency

    Demonstrates significant attention to detail and is an exceptional project manager, with a proven capacity to lead complex strategic and operational initiatives, cross functionally in an organization at global scale

    Effective at balancing both strategy and execution - can think strategically, but can also roll up their sleeves to get things done

    Cares deeply about employee and client-centricity and our vision to drive enterprise-wide change as a best-in-class talent organization

    Is deeply analytical, comfortable navigating data and working in ambiguity

    Exemplary communication and relationship building skills at all levels from senior executives to Individual Contributors

    Are you the right candidate? Yes!

    We truly believe in the power that comes from the diverse backgrounds and experiences our employees bring with them. Although each vacancy details what we are looking for, we don't necessarily need you to fulfil all of them when applying. If you like change and innovation, seek to see the bigger picture, make data driven decisions and are a good team player, you could be a great fit.

    About State Street

    What we do. State Street is one of the largest custodian banks, asset managers and asset intelligence companies in the world. From technology to product innovation, we're making our mark on the financial services industry. For more than two centuries, we've been helping our clients safeguard and steward the investments of millions of people. We provide investment servicing, data & analytics, investment research & trading and investment management to institutional clients.

    Work, Live and Grow. We make all efforts to create a great work environment. Our benefits packages are competitive and comprehensive. Details vary by location, but you may expect generous medical care, insurance and savings plans, among other perks. You'll have access to flexible Work Programs to help you match your needs. And our wealth of development programs and educational support will help you reach your full potential.

    Inclusion, Diversity and Social Responsibility. We truly believe our employees' diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives are a powerful contributor to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive and reach their maximum potential while adding value to both our organization and our clients. We warmly welcome candidates of diverse origin, background, ability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and personality. Another fundamental value at State Street is active engagement with our communities around the world, both as a partner and a leader. You will have tools to help balance your professional and personal life, paid volunteer days, matching gift programs and access to employee networks that help you stay connected to what matters to you.

    State Street is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

    #NBMBAA
  5. Post your job

    To find the right chief executive officer and operator for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with chief executive officer and operators they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit chief executive officer and operators who meet your education requirements.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your chief executive officer and operator job on Zippia to find and recruit chief executive officer and operator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit chief executive officer and operators, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new chief executive officer and operator

    Once you've found the chief executive officer and operator candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

    It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a chief executive officer and operator?

Recruiting chief executive officer and operators involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

Chief executive officer and operators earn a median yearly salary is $169,303 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find chief executive officer and operators for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $45 and $144.

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