Who Hires a VP of Operations, and the Question to Ask First
Ad Call reads the live VP of operations ads in your market and hands back, for each company, the CEO, President or COO most likely to own the search: name, title, email and office line, graded by confidence, with how long the opening has been posted. What you do with that first call decides whether you get the search.
A VP of operations is hired for growth or for repair. The CEO will tell you which — if you ask.
Find the vice president of operations hiring managers in my market — freeWho decides on a VP of operations
A VP of operations reports to the top of the company, and the top of the company hires them. At a founder-led or private-equity-backed business that is the CEO or President, often with the owner or board chair meeting finalists. Where there is a COO, the COO usually owns the search and the CEO approves. At a multi-site company, a regional VP of operations may be hired by a group president. HR or talent acquisition runs logistics and, at larger companies, manages the relationship with a retained search firm. Nobody below the CEO's direct reports decides this hire.
- Chief Executive Officerusually owns the reqOwns the search at most small and mid-size companies. Knows whether this is a growth hire or a repair hire, and will say so to someone who asks well.
- PresidentThe hiring seat when the CEO is an owner or chairman who has stepped back from daily operations.
- Chief Operating OfficerOwns the search when the VP will report to them; the CEO still meets finalists.
- Owner / Board Chair / Operating PartnerAt family-owned and PE-backed firms, meets finalists and can veto. Rarely the first call.
- Regional Vice President / Group PresidentHires site- or region-level VPs of operations at multi-location companies.
What Ad Call gives you for a VP of operations opening
For executive roles Ad Call leads with the CEO or President, adds the COO when one exists, and gives you the company's main line, where an executive assistant usually answers. Days open matters more at this level: an executive opening that stays posted for two months is telling you something about how the first search went.
Ad CallDeskFollow-upsCompaniesGuide- Nearly two months posted and rewritten once: the first profile didn't produce the right finalists, and the CEO is rethinking what she needs.
- “Second plant” reads like scale; “on-time delivery” reads like repair. The first call should find out which is true.
- No COO listed, so the CEO is carrying operations herself until this seat is filled.
Scale or repair: two jobs with one title
The same ad language can describe either situation. The candidate who is perfect for one is often wrong for the other.| Scale hire (growth) | Repair hire (turnaround) | |
|---|---|---|
| What happened | Demand outgrew the systems: new plant, new region, acquisition, a big contract | Something broke: missed deliveries, margin erosion, quality escapes, a lost customer, a leader who left under a cloud |
| What the CEO wants | Someone to build processes, hire managers and replicate what works | Someone to stop the bleeding fast, make hard people decisions and restore credibility with customers |
| Winning candidate background | Has taken an operation through a growth stage, opened sites, built leadership benches | Has walked into a failing operation and fixed it within a year or two, with numbers to show |
| Red flag in a candidate | Only ever optimized a stable operation | Only ever built from scratch, never cleaned up someone else's mess |
| How the CEO talks about it | Excited, future tense, talks about capacity | Guarded, careful, talks about “execution” and “accountability” |
| Confidentiality | Moderate; growth is good news | High; the incumbent may still be in the seat |
Who hires VPs of operations, and the honest truth about retained search
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook groups this role with top executives and describes general and operations managers as overseeing work too diverse to fit one area of management: formulating policies, coordinating daily operations and managing staff schedules. It also notes that many top executives work more than 40 hours a week, including evenings and weekends. That describes the person you're trying to reach: the CEO is covering operations personally until this seat is filled.
Be honest with yourself about how these searches are run. Many companies hire a VP of operations through a retained search firm, especially larger or PE-backed ones, and some will never take a contingency submission at this level. A posted ad is a sign the company is also trying direct channels, and that's your opening. But the CEO will judge you on whether you behave like an executive search consultant: you ask about the business before the candidate, you don't send a stack of resumes, and you keep things confidential.
If you work contingency, say so plainly, and offer something retained firms can't always match: a specific, vetted candidate available now. If the CEO prefers a retained engagement and you can offer one, propose it. If not, bow out gracefully and ask to stay in touch for the next level down.
The first-call question: growth or repair?
You're calling the main line. The CEO's executive assistant answers. You have the CEO's name from the results and one candidate in mind, but you won't pitch until you know which job this is.“We're promoting from within”
A recruiter calls a distribution company's president about a VP of operations opening. The president says the leading candidate is the current director of operations, promoted from within. That's common: the BLS notes that many top executives advance within their own organizations.
The recruiter doesn't argue. She asks one question: “Is this a growth hire or a repair hire?” The president says growth: two new distribution centers next year. She asks whether the director has opened a site before. He hasn't. She offers something useful either way: “If it's helpful, I can introduce one outside candidate who has opened three sites, purely as a benchmark. If your internal candidate is stronger, you'll know it for sure.”
The president agrees to one conversation. Whether or not the outside candidate gets the job, the recruiter has become the person this president calls for the next leadership hire, and she earned it without disparaging his internal candidate.
Turnaround operations executive search: discretion first
Repair hires are often confidential. The incumbent may still be in the seat, customers may be watching, and the CEO may not want competitors to know. The AESC Client Bill of Rights, the executive search profession's statement of what clients should expect, says members protect confidential information entrusted to them and set out terms like off-limits and conflicts in the written engagement agreement. Whether or not you're an AESC member, work to that standard.
In practice: don't mention the company's name to candidates until the CEO agrees; don't approach anyone at the company's customers or suppliers without asking; and never tell a candidate “they're firing the current VP.” Ad Call gives you the CEO's name and line so the first conversation is private and direct. Run your market free to see which companies near you are hiring at the VP level.
Questions recruiters ask about vice president of operations reqs
- Who hires a VP of operations?
The CEO or President at most small and mid-size companies, or the COO where one exists, with the CEO meeting finalists. At PE-backed firms an operating partner or board member often meets finalists too. HR manages logistics and any retained search firm.
- What is the best time to contact a vice president of operations hiring manager?
Early morning, before the operating day starts, or late afternoon. Avoid month-end and quarter-end, when CEOs are in board and financial reviews. For executive assistants, mid-morning is fine to schedule a call.
- Do companies use contingency recruiters for VP of operations roles?
Some do, particularly mid-size and founder-led companies that also post the role. Many larger firms use retained search. Be clear about how you work and offer a single, specific candidate rather than a slate.
- How do I tell a scale hire from a turnaround hire?
Ask the CEO directly on the first call. Ad language helps (“new facility,” “expansion” vs. “improve on-time delivery,” “accountability”), and a long-open, rewritten ad often means the first profile was wrong.