A chief executive officer (CEO) is a critical leader in any organization. The person assuming this role is responsible for setting the precedent for professionalism, conduct and integrity for everyone else in the company. A CEO’s primary responsibilities include establishing company goals, overseeing financial expenditures, negotiating new business opportunities, assessing key performance indicators and hiring top leaders to run the company.
Leadership is perhaps the most notable skill to include in your chief executive job description. A CEO who understands the value of stable leadership will combine communication and dedication to encourage employees to work towards a common purpose. A chief executive has to be a confident decision-maker and effective communicator and understand time-management and problem resolution.
A CEO who pays close attention to detail and is familiar with day-to-day operations can successfully lead an organization to success. Use this chief executive job description as a reference to create your own.
Chief Executive Job Summary
As a chief executive at our company’s headquarters, you have the chance to make an impact in the organization’s growth, success and economic footprint through valued leadership. Your integral role enables you to work in a variety of business practices including finances, marketing and sales. In addition to collaborating with other executives, you will hear and analyze reports from departmental leaders to make critical decisions regarding our company’s future. This position provides you with unparalleled opportunities to grow and build your professional resume. You will report directly to the board of trustees along with your colleagues. If you excel at time management, problem solving and communication and are committed to making a difference, this role could be perfect for you.
Job Responsibilities
- Establish organizational policies, procedures, goals and initiatives and set the precedent for the type of behavior required to achieve successful results
- Perform routine analysis of key performance indicators, benchmarking statistics and quarterly reports to monitor the company’s performance and marketability
- Interview and hire key company leaders and establish departmental functions to ensure an organizational structure that excels in communication and efficiency
- Collaborate with distributers, organizational entities and suppliers to negotiate critical contracts for the support of products and services
- Identify opportunities for growth via joint ventures, investment opportunities and partnerships, and pitch important reports to interested entities
- Prepare and present detailed reports to the board of trustees that discuss the company’s growth, financial standing and market share
- Oversee financial expenditures and identify areas where cost cutting is required for increased efficiency and resource-savings
- Research and review legislation to guarantee that company operations are ethical and in-line with federally outlined requirements
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- Bachelor’s degree in business management or related field
- At least 10 years of experience in a management position
- Proven leadership, communication and time management skills
Preferred:
- Master’s degree in a business-related field
- Familiarity with various organizational structures
Chief Executive Job Responsibilities
When writing your chief executive job description, you should plan in advance to spend a healthy amount of time writing the job responsibilities section. This is the section that can first grab the jobseeker’s attention and shapes their initial impression of the day-to-day function of the position. For this reason, it’s important that you write this section clearly and succinctly. It should be the meatiest part of the job description, but it need not be comprehensive. Focus mainly on the position’s core duties and leave the ancillary responsibilities out.
The recommended format for this section is a bullet-pointed list. The bulleted format makes skimming the content quick and simple, helping increase the visibility of your chief executive job description to jobseekers and therefore your volume of qualified applications. You should start each bullet with a descriptive verb and keep the number of bullets between four and eight.
These examples of well-written chief executive job responsibilities are here for your reference:
- Implement plans for corrective action to solve departmental or organizational problems
- Preside over management committees, boards of directors and other governing boards, and conduct those boards’ meetings
- Prepare project budgets for approval
- Negotiate or approve contracts with other companies, such as distributors, state or federal agencies, suppliers or other entities
Chief Executive Job Specifications
The assumption that it would be easy to write the job qualifications and skills section of your chief executive job description is not uncommon. It is generally the smallest section and simply provides a list of bottom-line requirements to fill the position, such as relevant work experience and education.
With that in mind, underestimating this section of the job description is a mistake. Take care to write this section just as clearly as all the rest. Since this list sets a bar for applicants to meet, if there is any room for misunderstanding, you can bet on countless underqualified applications clogging your inbox.
A good way to avoid this situation is to have a conversation with your senior leadership regarding their expectations for a chief executive. This will give you a clearer understanding of how best to write the skills list for your chief executive job description, and the resulting document will be much sharper and understandable for jobseekers. Be sure to separate the non-negotiable specifications from the preferred ones on the list to greater illuminate candidates’ eligibility.
Take a look at these examples of chief executive job specifications:
- Bachelor’s degree or higher, preferably in business administration
- 5 or more years of executive leadership experience
- Outstanding administrative and management skills
- Expansive knowledge of marketing and accounting strategies