Chief operating officer to branch manager
A chief operating officer already meets 37% of what the branch manager role asks for. The move turns on 28 required skills not yet in the profile.
73.4/ 100
1 How much of what a branch manager is expected to do is already part of a chief operating officer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the branch manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A branch manager role treats 19 of its required skills as things a chief operating officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- abide by business ethical code of conducts
- analyse business plans
- assume responsibility for the management of a business
- collaborate in company's daily operations
- company policies
- conclude business agreements
What stands in the way is 28 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 24 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A branch manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a chief operating officer background worth leading with.
- already held ensure lawful business operations assisting and caring
- already held collaborate in company's daily operations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held operations management business, administration and law
- already held shape corporate culture management skills
- already held shape organisational teams based on competencies management skills
- already held conclude business agreements communication, collaboration and creativity
All 24 carried skills, including the 19 the branch manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 49 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn organise participation in local or international events required
- still to learn apply business acumen required
- still to learn control financial resources required
- still to learn create a financial plan required
- still to learn create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement required
- still to learn exercise stewardship required
- still to learn manage staff required
- still to learn recruit employees required
- still to learn strive for company growth required
- optional, not held hire human resources optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn cost management required
- still to learn accounting required
- still to learn business law required
- still to learn business management principles required
- still to learn financial jurisdiction required
- still to learn marketing principles required
- still to learn strategic planning required
- optional, not held banking activities optional
- optional, not held business loans optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held international trade optional
- optional, not held market entry planning optional
- optional, not held subsidiary operations optional
- optional, not held supply chain management optional
- still to learn align efforts towards business development required
- still to learn execute marketing plan required
- still to learn impart business plans to collaborators required
- still to learn liaise with managers required
- still to learn report on overall management of a business required
- optional, not held maintain relationship with customers optional
- optional, not held prospect new regional contracts optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held establish communication with foreign cultures optional
- optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
- optional, not held manage relationships with stakeholders optional
- optional, not held share good practices across subsidiaries optional
- optional, not held speak different languages optional
- still to learn analyse business processes required
- still to learn analyse financial risk required
- still to learn synthesise financial information required
- optional, not held analyse market financial trends optional
- optional, not held describe the financial situation of a region optional
- optional, not held keep updated on the political landscape optional
- still to learn follow company standards required
- still to learn integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations required
- optional, not held oversee quality control optional
- still to learn manage office facility systems required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a branch manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 organise participation in local or international events practise this
- 02 corporate social responsibility study this
- 03 cost management study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 24 skills that carry over
- already held abide by business ethical code of conducts skill
- already held analyse business plans skill
- already held assume responsibility for the management of a business skill
- already held collaborate in company's daily operations skill
- already held company policies knowledge
- already held conclude business agreements skill
- already held develop business plans skill
- already held develop company strategies skill
- already held develop revenue generation strategies skill
- already held ensure lawful business operations skill
- already held evaluate performance of organisational collaborators skill
- already held financial management knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held follow the statutory obligations skill
- already held integrate strategic foundation in daily performance skill
- already held make strategic business decisions skill
- already held negotiate with stakeholders skill
- already held plan medium to long term objectives skill
- already held track key performance indicators skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held marketing management knowledge
- already held operations management knowledge
- already held shape corporate culture skill
- already held shape organisational teams based on competencies skill
21 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held hire human resources optional
- optional, not held maintain relationship with customers optional
- optional, not held prospect new regional contracts optional
- optional, not held analyse market financial trends optional
- optional, not held banking activities optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held business loans optional
- optional, not held describe the financial situation of a region optional
- optional, not held establish communication with foreign cultures optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held international trade optional
- optional, not held keep updated on the political landscape optional
- optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
- optional, not held manage relationships with stakeholders optional
- optional, not held market entry planning optional
- optional, not held oversee quality control optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- optional, not held share good practices across subsidiaries optional
- optional, not held speak different languages optional
- optional, not held subsidiary operations optional
- optional, not held supply chain management optional
20 held skills the branch manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse financial performance of a company skill
- not needed by the target role apply export strategies skill
- not needed by the target role apply import strategies skill
- not needed by the target role build international relations skill
- not needed by the target role business process modelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role define organisational standards skill
- not needed by the target role define the corporate structure skill
- not needed by the target role develop organisational policies skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role establish collaborative relations skill
- not needed by the target role implement operational business plans skill
- not needed by the target role implement strategic planning skill
- not needed by the target role imprint visionary aspirations into the business management skill
- not needed by the target role integrate shareholders' interests in business plans skill
- not needed by the target role interact with the board of directors skill
- not needed by the target role interpret financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role lead managers of company departments skill
- not needed by the target role lean manufacturing knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with shareholders skill
- not needed by the target role set organisational policies skill
15 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn cost management required
- still to learn accounting required
- still to learn business law required
- still to learn business management principles required
- still to learn financial jurisdiction required
- still to learn marketing principles required
- still to learn strategic planning required
- optional, not held banking activities optional
- optional, not held business loans optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held international trade optional
- optional, not held market entry planning optional
- optional, not held subsidiary operations optional
- optional, not held supply chain management optional
Common questions about this move
Can a chief operating officer become a branch manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A chief operating officer already covers 37% of what a branch manager is expected to do: 24 skills carry over, 19 of which the branch manager role treats as required.
What skills does a chief operating officer need to become a branch manager?
28 required skills are missing, plus 21 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is organise participation in local or international events.
How hard is the move from chief operating officer to branch manager?
Its learning distance is 73.4 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.