Officer Titles
• The type of official positions in a company varies depending upon the sector and industry. For example, in the private sector, corporate officer titles may include operations officer, credit officer, and compliance officer. In the government or public sector, official titles include police officer, correctional officer, and all officer positions in the armed forces. In the nonprofit sector, official titles include president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary.
Executive Titles
• Executive position titles are more standard than officer titles regardless of sector or industry. The top senior executive titles begin with the word chief and are referred to as c-level executives. Examples of these positions include chief executive officer, or CEO; chief operating officer, or COO; chief financial officer, or CFO; chief investment officer, or CIO; chief information officer, also CIO; and chief technology officer, or CTO. Other titles include the word executive, such as executive director, executive secretary, and senior executive vice president.
Duties of an Officer
• Duties of an officer vary widely depending on the industry and the seniority of the officer. For example, an assistant vice president in a bank is responsible for resolving customer complaints, managing nonofficial staff, and supporting the efforts of the vice president in that department. A higher-level officer, such as an industrial production manager at a large manufacturing plant, is responsible for the productivity of the workers, procuring raw materials, and ensuring that production meets output and quality goals while remaining within budget.
Duties of an Executive
• Executives are responsible for the overall success of the organization they work for. In order to achieve this success, executives decide upon meaningful strategies and policies that are enforced throughout the organization. Executives' duties include managing officers or other executives who are responsible for the successful operation of specific departments. Executives in a publicly traded corporation, one that issues shares of stock to stockholders, are responsible to the board of directors and to the stockholders for profitability. In the case of government and nonprofit organizations, executives are responsible for ensuring that funds are used properly to achieve the overall purpose of the agency or organization.
Education
• Executives in private industry, in government, and in the nonprofit sector almost without exception have a master's degree in their chosen field. An officer may have only a bachelor's degree or no college degree at all if he has enough years of experience.