How to hire a chief product officer

How to hire a chief product officer, step by step

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

What does a chief product officer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your chief product officer 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 product officer 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?

   Yes

   No

   A chief product officer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, chief product officers 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of chief product officers.

   Type of Chief Product Officer	Description	Hourly rate
   Chief Product 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.	$35-116
   Marketing Manager	Marketing managers are experienced employees who oversee the marketing department of the organization. They manage activities such as marketing campaigns, social media postings, company branding, and other strategic marketing activities... Show more	$34-73
   Marketing Director	Marketing directors are responsible for the overall branding and marketing direction of the company. They are in charge of identifying goals and strategies related to marketing... Show more	$32-92

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CPO
   • Patrol
   • Patients
   • Safety Hazards
   • Criminal Justice
   • Project Management
   • OSHA
   • Law Enforcement
   • SEO
   • CTO
   • SQL
   • B Testing
   • Saas
   • User Experience

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage day-to-day research & development, manufacturing, quality control, branding, logistics, and customer support.
   • Monitor and assess patients with responsibility for managing medications, treatments and emergency response.
   • Manage horizontal UX prototyping resource needs, implementing effective collaborative expectations and cross-product timeline allocation strategies.
   • Instruct lifeguard, CPR, and a classes.
   • Certificate and OSHA compliant course offerings
   • Audit and ensure OSHA compliance.

   More chief product officer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your chief product officer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A chief product officer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, chief product officers' average salary in mississippi is 68% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level chief product officers 69% less than senior-level chief product officers.
   • Certifications. A chief product officer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a chief product officer's salary.

   Average chief product officer salary

   $134,865yearly

   $64.84 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level chief product officer salary

   $74,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average chief product officer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$199,420	$96
   2	New York	$192,350	$92
   3	California	$168,274	$81
   4	Washington	$165,618	$80
   5	District of Columbia	$164,079	$79
   6	Maryland	$154,187	$74
   7	Connecticut	$148,523	$71
   8	Massachusetts	$142,723	$69
   9	Virginia	$126,220	$61
   10	Oregon	$117,422	$56
   11	Texas	$115,079	$55
   12	Pennsylvania	$113,507	$55
   13	Michigan	$110,391	$53
   14	Illinois	$99,689	$48
   15	Minnesota	$97,402	$47
   16	Ohio	$93,404	$45
   17	North Carolina	$93,183	$45
   18	Colorado	$90,636	$44
   19	Utah	$89,892	$43
   20	Georgia	$86,590	$42

   Average chief product officer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	McKinsey & Company Inc	$201,083	$96.67
   2	Google	$188,450	$90.60	258
   3	Federal Reserve Bank of New York	$185,807	$89.33
   4	Change.org	$184,071	$88.50
   5	Bank of the Ozarks	$168,902	$81.20	4
   6	Federal Reserve	$168,857	$81.18	1
   7	Best Apartments	$164,922	$79.29
   8	Federal Reserve Bank	$159,500	$76.68	4
   9	Datadog	$156,086	$75.04	25
   10	Forcepoint	$154,958	$74.50
   11	Realogy	$154,311	$74.19
   12	Agilent Technologies	$150,289	$72.25	8
   13	Total Defense	$150,127	$72.18
   14	Sonic Automotive	$149,580	$71.91	4
   15	Health Choice Network	$145,593	$70.00
   16	Braven	$145,418	$69.91
   17	Lahey Health Behavioral Services	$143,860	$69.16
   18	Ingram Micro	$142,719	$68.61
   19	Tango Networks, Inc.	$137,079	$65.90
   20	Patreon	$134,983	$64.90	2

4. Writing a chief product officer job description

   A job description for a chief product 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 product officer job description:

   Chief product officer job description example

   At Holiday Inn Club Vacations, we believe in strengthening families. And we look for people who exhibit the courage, caring and creativity to help us become the most loved brand in family travel. We're committed to growing our people, memberships, resorts and guest love. That's why we need individuals who are passionate in life and bring those qualities to work every day. Do you instill confidence, trust and respect in those around you? Do you encourage success and build relationships? If so, we're looking for you.
   
   The GMT-3/Pool Technician position is primarily responsible for the daily maintenance and cleanliness of the waterpark, resort pools and spa features, and surrounding deck areas. Duties include the removal of debris from the water features, balancing chemicals that are required to keep the pool chemical levels within local County Department of Health's standards, and cleaning pool filter systems.
   
   This position will also be responsible for performing the maintenance service and repairs in the areas of, and not limited to, repairing and Maintaining Pool Equipment -- Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing. Person must be knowledgeable in the procedures and safety measures associated with industry and company standards. Person must be familiar with industry standard concepts, practices, and procedures within a broad range appliance maintenance fields. Relies on limited experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Must be able to identify, troubleshoot, and resolve maintenance defects and concerns to prescribed standards. Reports to a supervisor or manager but works under general supervision; so must be self-motivated and independent. A certain degree of creativity and latitude is required. This position will also perform as part of a team and will carry out tasks as assigned by the Engineering Manager. Must have strong troubleshooting and face to face guest communication skills. Must be able to follow written instruction and complete documentation associated with unit maintenance.
   ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND TASKS:
   
   * Cleans and maintains swimming pool by vacuuming, skimming, cleaning scum gutters and baskets, hand cleaning tile, proper pool chemistry; operates and maintains filters, chlorinators, and pool equipment including pool heating equipment; makes check of PH, chlorine, total chlorine, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and cyanuric levels of pool water; adjusts chlorinators and adds chemicals as required; maintain/repair/replace any motors, pumps, chlorinators, and controllers as needed.
   * Conduct daily inspections of the water chemistry and assist in keeping daily and monthly pool readings (records) of all assigned water features.
   * Conduct daily inspections of the pool deck to include handrails, safety equipment, and pump rooms make necessary repairs.
   * Assist in maintaining inventory of equipment supplies and materials. Follow a predetermined schedule of preventive maintenance and safety inspections on assigned equipment.
   * Work in a team environment in a primarily response role to complete inspections, repairs, and ensure reliability of appliances. Assist guests and staff in the resolution of unit maintenance concerns, complaints and questions. Gather tools and supplies to be used at work site according to instructions. Maintain accurate records of units serviced and work performed via the Asgard application. Responsible to maintain and care of all assigned equipment. Perform tasks involving the use of power tools.
   * Comply with all work order procedures as established by the Engineering Department. Comply with all Orange Lake Resorts policies and procedures, specifically safety standards (i.e. wearing personal protection equipment and using all chemicals as instructed).
   
   EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
   
   * High School diploma or GED and/or vocational training
   * Two years prior experience working in some form of pool maintenance required.
   * Water safety, guest service or custodial experience preferred.
   * Bilingual a plus but not required
   
   CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS
   
   * CPO certification is required
   * Valid driver's license
   
   QUALIFICATIONS
   
   * Must be at least 18 years of age with a valid driver's license, and minimum of 1 years of driving experience.
   * Must meet company required motor vehicle policy standards.
   * Must be familiar with basic MS Office applications including MS Word, Excel and Outlook.
   * Ability to follow prescribed procedures and guidelines in accomplishing tasks as described above.
   * Ability to be self-directed.
   * Skill in attention to detail.
   
   COMPANY BENEFITS:
   
   Weekly Pay
   
   Matching 401K
   
   Growth & Developmental Opportunities
   
   Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision Benefits
   
   EAP - Employee Assistance Program
   
   PTO - Paid Time Off
   
   Travel Benefits, Discounts & FREE Vacations through our ClubGo Program
   
   Tuition Reimbursement & Continuing Education Courses
   
   Outstanding Company Culture
   
   INDRO1
   
   #zrro1

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find chief product officers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit chief product officers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 product officer

   Once you've decided on a perfect chief product officer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   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.

   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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