What Does a Company Officer Do?

Depending on the type of industry, a company officer can be a fire station chief, military professional, or business executive. No matter the industry, a professional in this position is in charge of making sure that the company or group runs in the most efficient manner possible. Company officer duties almost always include keeping junior level employees up to date on the rules and regulations of the industry.

A company officer in a fire station is responsible for the safety and well being of all of the other firefighters. It is this person's job to make sure that the firefighting team responds to each job quickly. He or she will also have to make sure that the team has the right tools to execute each job, whether it involves saving a family from a burning high rise apartment complex or rescuing an individual from a potentially explosive damaged vehicle. Reporting on the logistics and results of each call is also part of the company officer job description.

Training is a huge part of the fire chief's or company officer's ongoing responsibilities. Firefighters must always be prepared for the worst case scenario. As such, it is up to the professional in this position to design and conduct relevant training exercises. He or she will also be required to evaluate the performance of the other firefighters on a regular basis.

A company officer might also be found in the military. Depending on the country, this position usually means that the military officer is a lieutenant, captain, or some other high ranking official. These officials are responsible for the broader strategic vision for a military campaign. Junior grade officers report to them for assignments, commendations, reprimands, and more.

Company officers could also be professionals who work in an executive capacity within a given company. Industries typically share a core group of executive titles, such as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Each of these executive positions has its own responsibilities, although all of them require a certain amount of leadership experience and business acumen.

The CEO is responsible for making sure that the company is fulfilling its responsibilities to the shareholders. He or she is ultimately responsible for the successes or failures of the company. Meanwhile, the COO essentially makes sure that each employee is doing his or her job correctly and adding value to the company. The CFO is responsible for all of the financial accounting and planning.