How to Find COO and VP Operations Contacts at US Companies

Short answer: To find COO and VP Operations contacts at US companies, start from your ICP accounts, work out what "operations" means at each type of company (service delivery, supply chain, plants, field teams or business operations), search for the matching titles, confirm the person and role on LinkedIn or the company site, then use a tested contact finder to pull work emails and phones and verify them before outreach. Lead with an operational problem, not a feature list. Follow CAN-SPAM, TCPA and applicable privacy laws in general terms; this is practical sales guidance, not legal advice.

Why operations leaders are worth mapping carefully

Operations leaders often own budgets for tools and services that make the business run: workflow software, field service tools, facilities, logistics, outsourcing, analytics and process improvement. They also influence many other purchases because they see where work gets stuck.

But "operations" means different things at different companies:

• SaaS and tech companies: a COO or VP Operations may own business operations, customer operations, support, or internal systems. Some companies also have a Head of BizOps.
• Manufacturers: operations usually means plants, production, quality and supply chain. Titles include VP Manufacturing and Plant Manager.
• Healthcare providers: operations leaders run clinics, facilities and patient services, often by region.
• Logistics and distribution: operations covers terminals, warehouses, transportation and fleets.
• Professional services and agencies: operations may cover delivery, staffing, finance operations and internal tools.
• Multi-location businesses: franchises, retail chains and service companies often have regional or district operations leaders.

Before you search, write down which operational area your product improves. That tells you which titles to target.

Title keywords for US operations searches

Use a mix of executive and functional titles:

• Chief Operating Officer (COO), President (at smaller companies), EVP Operations
• VP Operations, SVP Operations, Head of Operations, Director of Operations
• VP Business Operations, Head of BizOps, Director of Strategy and Operations
• VP Customer Operations, Director of Service Delivery
• VP Manufacturing, Plant Manager, Director of Supply Chain
• Regional Operations Director, Area Operations Manager, District Manager
• Director of Process Improvement, Operational Excellence Lead

Exclude titles you do not sell to, such as operations coordinators or analysts, unless they are part of your buying group.

Map operations leaders by company size

• Small companies (under roughly 50 employees): the founder, CEO or president often handles operations. A COO may exist, often as a co-founder or first senior hire.
• Mid-market companies: a COO or VP Operations typically leads, with directors for specific functions or locations.
• Enterprises: operations may split by business unit, region or function, with SVPs and VPs owning separate areas. Procurement and IT are usually involved in purchases.

For multi-location companies headquartered in cities such as Dallas, Phoenix, Charlotte, Columbus or Denver, look for both corporate operations leaders and regional leaders who manage day-to-day execution.

Build your account and contact map

For each target account:

1. Confirm the company type and size. This tells you what operations means there.
2. Find the top operations leader. Search LinkedIn and the company leadership page for COO, President or VP Operations.
3. Find the functional or regional owner. Look for directors who run the area your product touches.
4. Check for recent changes. New operations leaders often review processes and vendors, but confirm the title is current.
5. Note related stakeholders. CFOs, CIOs and procurement often join operational purchases.

Keep this map at the account level in your CRM so reps share one view.

Find and verify contacts

Once you have confirmed people and titles:

• Use a contact finder or sales intelligence tool that works from professional profiles or company records
• Prefer work emails for first-touch outreach
• Add phones when calling is part of your motion, and label them as direct, mobile or switchboard
• Watch for executive assistants; at larger companies, a COO's calendar is often managed by an assistant

Verification checklist

• The person still holds the title at the company
• The email domain matches the company or the correct subsidiary
• Verification status is known before a large send; treat catch-all domains carefully
• Phones, if used, reach the right person on a small dial sample
• Source and last-verified date are stored in your CRM

Outreach that resonates with operations leaders

• Lead with a measurable operational problem, such as manual handoffs, missed SLAs, scheduling gaps, inventory issues or reporting delays
• Use their language: throughput, cycle time, utilization, on-time delivery, cost to serve
• Reference something real, such as a new location, expansion or recent operations hire
• Keep the first message short with one clear ask
• Offer something useful, such as a short process benchmark conversation or a relevant example

Operations leaders tend to respond to specifics. Generic "digital transformation" language rarely lands.

Compliance (high level)

For US email, follow CAN-SPAM basics: accurate sender information, a physical address and a working unsubscribe. For calls or texts to mobile numbers, consider TCPA, do-not-call rules and company policy. If your list includes Canadian operations leaders, CASL may apply. Honor opt-outs across every channel and check with counsel before high-volume programs.

Pilot before you scale

1. Pick 50 to 100 US accounts in one or two segments, for example multi-location service companies in the Southeast and mid-market manufacturers in the Midwest.
2. Map the top operations leader and one functional or regional owner per account.
3. Pull contacts with your shortlisted tools and verify emails.
4. Run a short email and phone sequence and track replies and meetings.
5. Compare which titles responded, then refine targeting and messaging.
6. Expand once data quality and replies hold up.

Common mistakes

• Treating every COO as the same buyer regardless of company type
• Emailing the COO about a tool that a regional director evaluates
• Ignoring presidents and founders who run operations at small companies
• Skipping verification and bouncing on senior contacts
• Using vague transformation language instead of concrete operational problems
• Ignoring opt-outs or re-adding suppressed contacts

Where PeakAI fits

PeakAI is a contact finder with a Chrome extension that finds phone numbers, work emails and personal emails from professional profiles, drawing on global sources, with bulk export and integrations. After you map US accounts and COO / VP Operations titles, use PeakAI or another tested finder to pull contacts, then verify before outreach. Treat PeakAI as one option in your shortlist: run the same sample through PeakAI and your other candidates, then compare usable contacts and workflow fit. Check thepeakai.com for current features, coverage and pricing. Verify before you outreach at scale.

FAQ

Should I contact the COO or the VP Operations first?

Contact the leader who owns the problem you solve. At mid-market companies that is often the VP or Director of Operations for a specific area. Go to the COO when the purchase is strategic or spans several functions.

Who handles operations at small US companies?

Often the founder, CEO or president. Some small companies have a COO who is a co-founder or early senior hire.

What is the difference between a COO and a Head of BizOps?

A COO usually owns company-wide operations and often several departments. A Head of BizOps, common at tech companies, typically focuses on planning, analytics and cross-functional projects.

Are operations leaders better reached by phone or email?

It depends on the industry. Operations leaders in manufacturing, logistics and field services may respond better to calls, while those at tech companies often prefer email. Test both on a small sample.

How often should operations contact lists be refreshed?

Refresh before each outreach wave. Senior operations roles change regularly, so re-check titles and verify emails rather than relying on old lists.