Career Planning

Corporate Executive Job Titles

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Updated on December 6, 2021

Title reads: "C-Level Executives: the highest ranking people in a company. Many other C-level titles exist. All c-level jobs require: strategic vision and leadership" Image shows three scenarios and an attached job title and description. The first is labeled "CEO: Chief Executive Officer–responsible for the company's overall path." Image shows a woman giving a presentation to two others in a conference room. , "CFO: Chief Financial Officer–Responsible for the company's finances." Image shows a woman on the phone, in front of a computer, talking about various currencies. The third image reads: "COO: Chief operations officer–Responsible for the company's day-to-day operations and HR." Image shows three people two are shaking hands for the first time, and the other is facilitating. — Photo:
Hilary Allison / The Balance

C-level jobs, also known as C-suite jobs, refer to high-ranking executive titles with the "C" standing for chief. Corporate executives in C-level positions are the most powerful and influential people in an organization. They make more important decisions, have a more demanding workload, and thus have high salaries.

What Are Corporate Executive Jobs?

C-level jobs (the highest ranking roles at an organization) are the top corporate executive positions in a company. They are the leadership team of the organization.

Note

C-level positions are available across all industries, and the skills and experience required from these executives can vary by industry.

However, nearly all corporate executive jobs require leadership and recruiting skills, along with the ability to develop and implement a strategic vision to support the organization's goals.

Top Corporate-Level Positions

With the advent of the internet and the burgeoning start-up world, new C-level positions have proliferated. Companies now hire for roles such as chief experience officer, for example, responsible for the user's experience with the site, app, or product, and for chief privacy officer, in charge of protecting user and corporate data.

Although there may be more job titles in the C-level now, the three most common positions across all industries remain the same:

Chief Executive Officer (CEO): The CEO is responsible for the overall path of the company. A CEO will be praised (and likely receive additional compensation) when the company is successful, and also held responsible if there are failures or setbacks.

Chief Financial Officer (CFO): The CFO oversees the company's financials. Along with budgeting, accounting, and reporting, this role can also involve forecasting and investing.

Chief Operations Officer (COO): The COO is in charge of day-to-day operations at the company, and often oversees the human resources department.

List of Corporate Executive Job Titles

Here's a list of sample corporate-level job titles with a description of the position.

CAO (Chief Accounting Officer): Not all companies have them, but CAOs oversee all day-to-day accounting activities. Corporate accounting can be complex and CAOs make sure that accounts, financial statements, and systems for controlling costs operate smoothly. The CAO usually reports to the CEO and the board of directors.
CEO (Chief Executive Officer): The CEO is the highest-level member of the C-suite, responsible for hiring (and firing) all other executives. A company flourishes or flounders based on the merits of its CEO, who is also typically the face of the company.
CDO (Chief Diversity Officer): A chief diversity officer is the main architect of a company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
CFO (Chief Financial Officer): A CFO is the most senior executive in the finance department and runs the company's financial functions. This may include credit, budgeting, insurance, and taxes. The CFO also oversees the treasurer and financial controller who handle daily operations.

CISO (Chief Information Security Officer): A chief information security officer is a senior executive who manages and maintains a company's vision, strategy, and program to protect its information and technologies. Duties include establishing policies related to security, overseeing compliance with regulations, and ensuring data and information privacy.
CIO (Chief Information Officer): A Chief Information Officer is an executive role in charge of information technology and the computer systems needed to support a company in achieving its goals. In large businesses, a CIO will delegate management of the day-to-day IT operations to a deputy and use a team to manage specific IT areas.
CMO (Chief Marketing Officer): A Chief Marketing Officer manages the development and execution of a company's advertising and marketing, tasked with increasing sales by using research on pricing, competitive analysis, market research, marketing communications, advertising, and PR.
COO (Chief Operating Officer): A Chief Operating Officer (or Chief Operations Officer) handles the day-to-day administration and operation of a business. Depending on the company's needs, this role can vary greatly.

CPO (Chief People Officer): A Chief People Officer is responsible for a company’s talent strategy and corporate-culture initiatives.
CPO (Chief Procurement Officer): A Chief Procurement Officer oversees the management of the company's acquisition programs in terms of contracting services and purchasing supplies, equipment, services, and materials.
CPO (Chief Product Officer): A Chief Product Officer (or Chief Production Officer) is an alternative name for the head of product management. This executive oversees a company's product-related activities and reports to the CEO.
CSO (Chief Sustainability Officer): A Chief Sustainability Officer helps organizations ensure that business practices are economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable.
CTO (Chief Technology Officer): A Chief Technology Officer oversees a company's technology and works to ensure that technology-related decisions align with business goals.