How to hire a chief operating officer, chief technology officer

How to hire a chief operating officer, chief technology officer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step chief operating officer, chief technology officer 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 operating officer, chief technology officer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new chief operating officer, chief technology officer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the chief operating officer, chief technology officer you need to hire. Certain chief operating officer, chief technology officer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a chief operating officer, chief technology officer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a chief operating officer, chief technology officer that fits the bill.

   This list presents chief operating officer, chief technology officer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Chief Operating Officer, Chief Technology Officer	Description	Hourly rate
   Chief Operating Officer, Chief Technology Officer	Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.	$55-136
   Manager	Managers are responsible for a specific department, function, or employee group. They oversee their assigned departments and all the employees under the department... Show more	$17-44
   District Manager	District managers oversee the operations of a group of stores or areas covered by the assigned district. They are responsible for ensuring that the sales, marketing, quality control, and people management of their community align with the company's direction... Show more	$30-70

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • QA
   • R
   • SharePoint
   • Financial Statements
   • Technology Infrastructure
   • Process Improvement
   • CRM
   • Vendor Management
   • Business Strategy
   • Business Management
   • Business Development
   • Cloud
   • Windows
   • PMO

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage SaaS operations, corporate office, remote office, and content team.
   • Manage email, IP phone system, host terminal server and host web sites.
   • Lead the conversion and implementation of new ERP system to replace multiple legacy systems.
   • Project manage and direct and build data centers internal designs and associate network infrastructure design, IP networking.
   • Manage the PMO office responsible for up to 40 simultaneous projects with a staff of 4 project coordinators.
   • Drive scrum ceremonies, manage artifacts, provide guidance to teams that promote collaboration/ productivity, identify and address dependencies/ impediments.

   More chief operating officer, chief technology officer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your chief operating officer, chief technology officer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A chief operating officer, chief technology officer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a chief operating officer, chief technology officer in Arkansas may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level chief operating officer, chief technology officer usually earns less than a senior-level chief operating officer, chief technology officer. Additionally, a chief operating officer, chief technology officer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average chief operating officer, chief technology officer salary

   $180,927yearly

   $86.98 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level chief operating officer, chief technology officer salary

   $115,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average chief operating officer, chief technology officer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$218,995	$105
   2	New York	$192,922	$93
   3	North Carolina	$188,948	$91
   4	California	$187,481	$90
   5	Washington	$184,157	$89
   6	Arizona	$165,199	$79
   7	Texas	$163,019	$78

   Average chief operating officer, chief technology officer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Nuance Communications	$201,806	$97.02
   2	HUYABIO International	$193,845	$93.19
   3	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$193,295	$92.93	12
   4	Peraton	$187,613	$90.20	33
   5	Citi	$185,551	$89.21	78
   6	Atlassian	$178,624	$85.88	8
   7	Otter Products	$178,373	$85.76
   8	Les Schwab Tire Centers	$157,710	$75.82
   9	McKesson	$155,781	$74.89	13
   10	Bank of America	$114,541	$55.07	221

4. Writing a chief operating officer, chief technology officer job description

   A job description for a chief operating officer, chief technology officer 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 operating officer, chief technology officer job description:

   Chief operating officer, chief technology officer job description example

   Working at Atlassian
   
   Atlassian can hire people in any country where we have a legal entity. Assuming you have eligible working rights and a sufficient time zone overlap with your team, you can choose to work remotely or return to an office as they reopen (unless it's necessary for your role to be performed in the office). Interviews and onboarding are conducted virtually, a part of being a distributed-first company.
   
   The CTO Ops groups mission is to enable the CTO Organization to move faster by identifying, driving and owning initiatives that will accelerate our success and scale. We wake up thinking how can we move from good to great; what systems, processes, rituals, rhythms, tools or technology can we establish as consistent normalized systems at scale? We consistently seek to improve and innovate. We lead programs and liaise with partners across the business to ensure we execute on opportunities for increased speed, integration and impact. We ensure accountability not just for our own team but for the entire CTO Org.
   In this role, you'll get to:
   Be the 'go to' partner for the CTO, and lead a team to streamline and up-level our technology organization's operational processes.
   Act as the central point of contact to prioritize strategic investment in operational inefficiencies and guiding Engineering's approach to solutions.
   Collaborate with key Engineering leaders and other partner teams to identify new initiatives, and define clear goals and success criteria.
   Align and drive CTO operations team to load balance across the Engineering organization, and to translate Objectives and Key Results into reality and successful outcomes.
   On your first day, we'll expect you to have:(8-10 years) Experience driving Engineering Operations in a Enterprise SaaS based tech company Experience or background in running both technical and business programs Ability to wear multiple hats and context-switch frequently and seamlessly Willingness to 'think' strategic, while also being willing to 'act' tactically and get into the weeds if necessary.Aptitude to balance trade-offs as you influence teams toward successful end product(s).Knack for building alliances and partnerships across the business as you find creative solutions to high visibility questions.A passion for operations and demonstrated experience in operationalizing processes, systems or practices at scale Eager and able to soar at strategic levels as well as dive deeply into details (rolling up your sleeves) in order to deliver concrete outcomes Outstanding track record with cross functional partners: people love to work with you!Strong bias for action.Strong leadership skills, ability to help unblock team members, while helping them grow in their careers
   It's great if you have:Technical knowledge (ability to speak lingo, but not expected to code).Knows how to work with Engineering teams, and has solid experience with overall strategies, org structure & design.Experience with organizational scale.Experience managing managers (this will help us scale long term).
   
   Our perks & benefits
   
   To support you at work and play, our perks and benefits include ample time off, an annual education budget, paid volunteer days, and so much more.
   
   About Atlassian
   
   The world's best teams work better together with Atlassian. From medicine and space travel, to disaster response and pizza deliveries, Atlassian software products help teams all over the planet. At Atlassian, we're motivated by a common goal: to unleash the potential of every team.
   
   We believe that the unique contributions of all Atlassians create our success. To ensure that our products and culture continue to incorporate everyone's perspectives and experience, we never discriminate based on race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or marital, veteran, or disability status. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
   
   Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
   
   To learn more about our culture and hiring process, explore our Candidate Resource Hub.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right chief operating officer, chief technology officer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your chief operating officer, chief technology officer job on Zippia to find and recruit chief operating officer, chief technology officer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with chief operating officer, chief technology officer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 operating officer, chief technology officer

   Once you've found the chief operating officer, chief technology officer 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new chief operating officer, chief technology officer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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