Home Chief Operating Officer Resume template
Chief Operating Officer resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what chief operating officers actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most chief operating officers should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Chief operating officer with a track record of translating strategy into operational execution across multiple business units. Experienced in leading cross-functional teams through change, managing budgets and forecasts, and embedding risk controls that keep performance on track. Comfortable presenting KPI results to boards and reallocating resources to where they are needed most.
Key skills
- Operations management
- Strategy development
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Risk and internal controls
- Process improvement
- Financial analysis and modelling
- ERP systems (SAP, Oracle)
- Business intelligence platforms (Tableau, Power BI)
- Project management software (Microsoft Project, Asana)
- Financial modelling tools (Excel)
- People leadership
- Stakeholder management
Experience: example bullet points
- Redesigned procurement and supply chain processes across three business units, reducing order-to-delivery times and improving supplier reliability.
- Led a cross-functional ERP implementation that consolidated finance, HR and inventory data, delivering a single source of truth for monthly reporting.
- Established a monthly KPI review cycle with departmental heads, presenting performance insights to the CEO and board that informed resource reallocation.
- Developed and managed annual operating budgets for a multi-site operation, introducing rolling forecasts that improved cost control and cash flow visibility.
- Implemented a risk register and internal control framework, addressing gaps in compliance and reducing exposure to operational disruptions.
Education
Bachelor degree in business, commerce or engineering, often complemented by an MBA or postgraduate qualification in management. A diploma or advanced diploma with significant operational experience is an alternative pathway.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- Operations management
- P&L responsibility
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Risk management
- Process improvement
- ERP implementation
- Stakeholder engagement
- Corporate governance
- Work Health and Safety (WHS)
- Fair Work Act
- Australian Accounting Standards
- ASIC compliance
- KPI reporting
- Change management
- Supply chain management
- Commercial acumen
- Board reporting
- SAP
- Oracle
- Tableau
- Power BI
- Microsoft Project
- Asana
- Excel
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.