Chief program officer vs chief of staff

The differences between chief program officers and chiefs of staff can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a chief program officer, becoming a chief of staff takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a chief of staff has an average salary of $130,835, which is higher than the $108,110 average annual salary of a chief program officer.

The top three skills for a chief program officer include human resources, oversight and project management. The most important skills for a chief of staff are PET, team support, and project management.

Chief program officer vs chief of staff overview

	Chief Program Officer	Chief Of Staff
Yearly salary	$108,110	$130,835
Hourly rate	$51.98	$62.90
Growth rate	28%	6%
Number of jobs	150,634	124,272
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	47	52
Years of experience	6	-

What does a chief program officer do?

The chief program officer (CPO) is responsible for developing, implementing, and supervising a non-profit organization's programming, such as creating an outreach program or job training courses for the homeless. They seek advice from the CEO and other executive managers at the organization on how to enhance the existing programming and services and coordinate new programs. Other duties and responsibilities include managing program implementation and funding, as well as giving guidance to program coordinators, staff, and volunteers. Additionally, they seek feedback and evaluate the effectiveness of programs.

What does a chief of staff do?

A chief of staff primarily supports an executive through performing various administrative tasks. Most of their responsibilities revolve around collaborating with other executive support personnel to devise strategies that will help the company, responding to inquiries and correspondence, approving communications letters, managing schedules, setting appointments, and serving as an advisor to the executive. Furthermore, when it comes to issues and disputes, the chief of staff must be quick to conduct research and perform damage control to help the executive and the company rise from the occasion.

Chief program officer vs chief of staff salary

Chief program officers and chiefs of staff have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chief Program Officer	Chief Of Staff
Average salary	$108,110	$130,835
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $171,000	Between $85,000 And $200,000
Highest paying City	Albany, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	California
Best paying company	McKinsey & Company Inc	Lyft
Best paying industry	Transportation	Start-up

Differences between chief program officer and chief of staff education

There are a few differences between a chief program officer and a chief of staff in terms of educational background:

	Chief Program Officer	Chief Of Staff
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Chief program officer vs chief of staff demographics

Here are the differences between chief program officers' and chiefs of staff' demographics:

	Chief Program Officer	Chief Of Staff
Average age	47	52
Gender ratio	Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%	Male, 62.0% Female, 38.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between chief program officer and chief of staff duties and responsibilities

Chief program officer example responsibilities.

Manage implementation of referrals, coordinate assignment of new physicians and create support network for transitioning patients during clinic closure.
Facilitate PMO strategy sessions and encourage PMO support.
Conduct fee analyses relate to Medicaid, Medicare and third party revenue sources.
Maintain federal and state medical regulations including Medicare and Medicaid.
Prepare program and budget estimates for reports for senior managers responsible for executive oversight of strategic war planning system.
Provide oversight to the integration of other U.S. governmental agencies into the USEUCOM exercise program including representatives serving in non-governmental organizations.

Show more

Chief of staff example responsibilities.

Lead headquarters (HQ) operations staff.
Manage the G3's fiscal year budget planning, formulation, and execution.
Supervise the G2 administrative section and maintain and manage the G2 budget and material resources.
Manage the predeployment training and the deployment process to receiving commands, and subsequent redeployment and deactivation.
Manage budgets of $75,000 to $22 million paying keen attention to cost containment and ROI.
Credit for managing and improving the HAZMAT program, which serve as a benchmark example for the base community.

Show more

Chief program officer vs chief of staff skills

Common chief program officer skills

Human Resources, 11%
Oversight, 10%
Project Management, 7%
Risk Management, 7%
Strategic Plan, 6%
Professional Development, 5%

Common chief of staff skills

PET, 15%
Team Support, 11%
Project Management, 8%
Oversight, 7%
Direct Reports, 6%
Marketing Campaigns, 6%

Chief Program Officer vs. similar jobs

Chief Program Officer related careers

Chief Program Officer related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z