A chief corporate officer is in charge of all aspects of a company. Chief corporate officers oversee everyone from management to lower-level employees, making certain everyone works as a team, helping the company remain profitable. Chief corporate officers work in a wide array of industries and are responsible for everything from a company’s image to its finances.

Basics

Chief corporate officers set and enforce company policies and guidelines. They hold high-profile and high-pressure (and high-paying) positions, often acting as the “face” of their company. Chief corporate officers typically receive credit when things go right but also take the majority of the blame when things go wrong. On top of delegating, they should know how to perform most of the tasks of their employees, or at the very least, know how to hire workers who are capable of performing the tasks themselves.

Skills

A chief corporate officer needs to be extremely organized, analytical, confident and an expert at recognizing issues and finding solutions. She should possess outstanding communication skills, as she interacts with everyone from employees to clients to a company’s board on a regular basis. She also will likely need to be an authority in areas such as finance and math, considering the company’s bottom line often falls on her shoulders.

Background

Requirements to become a chief corporate officer vary greatly by industry. Most need at least a bachelor’s degree, while others will need to have obtained a master’s degree. Areas of study for chief corporate officers typically include business, finance, economics, mathematics, marketing and administration. Along with an education, chief corporate officers are usually considered experts in their industry and have spent a considerable amount of time working at the lower levels.

Prospects

Since chief corporate officers hold prestigious positions that offer them few reasons to leave, there is expected to be little to no change in job opportunities up until 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). More than 400,000 workers were employed as chief executives in May 2008, the BLS reported.

Earnings

Chief corporate officers are some of the highest earners in the country, receiving a salary of anywhere from $55,000 to more than $195,000 per year in March 2010, according to PayScale.com. Much of those earnings depended on the chief corporate officer’s industry, experience and responsibilities. Also, the BLS reported that top executives such as chief corporate officers earned a median salary of $158,560 in May 2008.