What does a chief product officer do?
A chief product officer (CPO) is an executive professional who is responsible for managing a company's product management team to create products that can deliver sustainable value to both customers and the business. This executive must lead the strategic product direction, which includes product vision, design, development, and marketing. To get insights from the needs of customers, this executive is required to initiate various types of customer research to use it to differentiate products from competitors. This chief product officer must also take part in exhibitions to present products to the audience.
Chief product officer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real chief product officer resumes:
- 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.
- Redesign website, optimize for SEO and mobile.
- Vet hire of CEO, CTO, and senior solution architects.
- Redesign and launch www.keek.com, optimize for desktop, mobile and SEO.
- Conduct patrol duties per shift need to maintain an environment that have minimal hazards.
- Conduct armed foot and/or vehicle patrol (interior and/or exterior), control access and egress.
- Help restructure the entire sales process and training for sales people in new and pre own Porsche.
- Coordinate all schedules, inspections and preventative maintenance of HVAC systems (HVAC certify, EPA license).
- Create, maintain and review queries (SQL) to review any inaccurate or non-compliant vouchers and purchase orders.
- Provide security by performing rounds, monitoring CCTV, checking visitors in and out and write reports if need.
Chief product officer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 25% of Chief Product Officers are proficient in CPO, Patrol, and Patients. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Management skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Chief Product Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CPO, 25%
Recruited by the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) of the City to be part of a Quality Assurance Review Team.
- Patrol, 11%
Patrol entire grounds, make reports, Test and clean water, install and repair pumps/heaters, Maintain and clean property.
- Patients, 8%
Researched insurance issues that patients or providers office encountered at pharmacy and provided solutions.
- Safety Hazards, 5%
Watch for irregular or unusual conditions that may create security concerns or safety hazards.
- Criminal Justice, 4%
Develop and implement comprehensive collaboration with law enforcement agencies, criminal justice programs, hospitals
- Project Management, 4%
Instituted formal methodology for project management and recommended strategies for integrating project management techniques into the existing corporate culture.
Most chief product officers use their skills in "cpo," "patrol," and "patients" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential chief product officer responsibilities here:
Leadership skills. One of the key soft skills for a chief product officer to have is leadership skills. You can see how this relates to what chief product officers do because "top executives must be able to shape and direct an organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources." Additionally, a chief product officer resume shows how chief product officers use leadership skills: "provided visionary enterprise leadership and direction in the management and operation of all information systems, technology, and product development. "
Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for chief product officers to perform their duties. For an example of how chief product officer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a chief product officer: "identified and produced mvp/prototype of saas solution in 4 weeks, solution had first purchasing client within 2 weeks of launch. ".
Time-management skills. For certain chief product officer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "time-management skills." The day-to-day duties of a chief product officer rely on this skill, as "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what chief product officers do: "participated on several cross functional product development teams and delivered projects on time and under budget. "
Communication skills. Another common skill required for chief product officer responsibilities is "communication skills." This skill comes up in the duties of chief product officers all the time, as "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." An excerpt from a real chief product officer resume shows how this skill is central to what a chief product officer does: "co-founded saas communications platform helping businesses identify how their most important customer relationships are trending across multiple crm solutions. "
The three companies that hire the most chief product officers are:
- U.S. Bank17 chief product officers jobs
- McKinsey & Company Inc16 chief product officers jobs
- Sonic Automotive14 chief product officers jobs
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Compare different chief product officers
Chief product officer vs. 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. They provide strategic direction and come up with departmental goals. They also provide proper training for employees in the department to ensure that they have a deep understanding of its marketing tools. Marketing managers should be creative, should have good interpersonal skills, and should be flexible.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, chief product officer responsibilities require skills like "cpo," "patrol," "patients," and "safety hazards." Meanwhile a typical marketing manager has skills in areas such as "digital marketing," "marketing campaigns," "integrated marketing," and "email marketing." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Marketing managers really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $115,553. Comparatively, chief product officers tend to make the most money in the professional industry with an average salary of $40,214.On average, marketing managers reach similar levels of education than chief product officers. Marketing managers are 0.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Chief product officer vs. 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. They create strategies that cater to the target market of the organization's products and services to help with sales. They lead the company's marketing department and create the company's brand promise. They ensure that all marketing collateral is in line with the rest of the marketing campaigns of the organization. They should be updated on all the current trends in the marketing world.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that chief product officer responsibilities requires skills like "cpo," "patrol," "patients," and "safety hazards." But a marketing director might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "digital marketing," "marketing campaigns," "sales strategies," and "integrated marketing."
Marketing directors earn a lower average salary than chief product officers. But marketing directors earn the highest pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $131,349. Additionally, chief product officers earn the highest salaries in the professional with average pay of $40,214 annually.In general, marketing directors achieve similar levels of education than chief product officers. They're 0.8% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Chief product officer vs. Business development director
A business development director specializes in crafting plans and strategies to develop the relationship between the brand, clients, and other key characters in the industry. It is their responsibility to examine and understand everything about the brand and figure out which areas require improvement or changes. They must also conduct a thorough marketing analysis and remain updated on the latest trends in the market to identify new opportunities that would improve customer satisfaction. Furthermore, they must also communicate with all clients, even appear on public gatherings to strengthen brand awareness.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, chief product officers are more likely to have skills like "cpo," "patrol," "safety hazards," and "criminal justice." But a business development director is more likely to have skills like "healthcare," "crm," "customer relationships," and "account management."
Business development directors earn the best pay in the finance industry, where they command an average salary of $124,195. Chief product officers earn the highest pay from the professional industry, with an average salary of $40,214.Most business development directors achieve a similar degree level compared to chief product officers. For example, they're 3.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Chief product officer vs. Business development manager
A business development manager's duties include identifying business opportunities, developing effective models and strategies to improve business performance, searching for potential clients to generate income and attract partnerships. A business development manager must have extensive knowledge of the market trends and adjust strategies as needed to meet the needs of the client. Excellent communication, decision-making, critical thinking, and leadership skills are just some of the key factors that business development managers should possess to communicate and negotiate with the clients.
Types of chief product officer
Updated January 8, 2025
