How to become a chief operating officer or General manager

Official title: Chief operating officer/General manager

Also called: Chief administrative officer, Chief operating officer (COO), General manager (agriculture), General manager (business development), General manager (business management), General manager (construction), General manager (manufacturing), General manager (mining and quarrying), General manager (restaurant), General manager (service firm), General manager (transport), Deputy General Manager/Chief Operating Officer

Chief operating officer/General manager is the second in command of a company after the chief executive officer. He/she ensures that the daily operations of the company run smoothly and develops company policies, rules and goals.

Main tasks

• Planning, directing and coordinating the general functioning of an enterprise or organisation
• Determining objectives, strategies, policies and programmes for the enterprise or organisation
• Providing overall leadership and management to the enterprise or organisation
• Establishing and managing budgets, controlling expenditure and ensuring the efficient use of resources
• Authorising material, human and financial resources to implement organisational policies and programmes
• Monitoring and evaluating performance of the organisation or enterprise against established objectives and policies
• Consulting with senior subordinate staff and reviewing recommendations and reports
• Representing the organisation at official occasions and board meetings, in negotiations, at conventions, seminars, public hearings and forums

Ways in

• University: Science degrees, Offered by 4 universities in Singapore
• University: Architecture & Built Environment degrees, Offered by 2 universities in Singapore

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $153,000 a year. The middle half earn $101,640 to $193,200 a year.
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Managing director/Chief executive officer
• Company director

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Questions people ask

How do I become a chief operating officer or General manager?

Ways in include: Science degrees; Architecture & Built Environment degrees.

How much does a chief operating officer or General manager earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $153,000 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $101,640 to $193,200.

Will AI change the work of a chief operating officer or General manager?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026