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What does a Corporate Services Director do?

C. Webb
C. Webb

In most businesses, the corporate services director oversees the entire operation. He or she is responsible for all aspects of running the company, though there are typically department heads, supervisors and employees working under the director to help attain company goals and manage day-to-day business aspects. The primary duty of a services director is to provide leadership and direction.

A corporate services director is expected to interact with corporate partners, potential partners and others who have an impact on the corporate operation. This interaction can mean anything from regional meetings to worldwide travel. He or she is often viewed as the face of the company, promoting its mission and services or products.

A corporate services director is expected to interact with corporate partners, potential partners and others who have an impact on the corporate operation.
A corporate services director is expected to interact with corporate partners, potential partners and others who have an impact on the corporate operation.

Leading the corporation is another responsibility of the director. An economic downturn, for instance, might require a director to carefully choose where to reduce spending and how to save funds. When an economic boon occurs, it might require making decisions that will keep the corporation ahead of the others in success. Leadership at the top level has to do more with the large picture than the everyday operation. Commissioning a study to determine a faster manufacturing of products method is one example of leading the corporate structure.

Prospective corporate services directors need leadership abilities, excellent communication and decision-making skills, and the ability to work under pressure.
Prospective corporate services directors need leadership abilities, excellent communication and decision-making skills, and the ability to work under pressure.

Motivation of the employees also falls under the umbrella of the duties of a corporate services director. Working with human resource directors, production supervisors and others, the director authorizes productivity and reward programs. Such programs might offer paid days off or financial incentives to complete a task early. Typically, memos sent out explaining the incentive programs are signed by the services director, reminding employees they are on the same team.

Corporate policies are also typically set by the director. Policies can include anything from workplace dress codes to emergency procedures. Policies usually are discussed and determined together with department heads, and the corporate services director approves them before releasing them to company employees. When a company's ethics or policies are called into question by the public or government officials, the director is typically held accountable. Leading a company can be a stressful yet powerful position.

Skills needed to become a corporate services director include strong leadership abilities, excellent communication skills, the ability to work under pressure and strong decision making skills. Corporate services director hours can be very long, lasting into the night and weekends. Most corporations require applicants to possess a background in either human resources or finance. In addition a college degree, preferably in business management, is desired along with several years of management experience.

Discussion Comments

nony

@hamje32 - It’s not glamorous work in my opinion. The corporate services manager for example does a lot of facilities management and interfacing with vendors for example.

If you like that thing I guess it’s okay but realize that you may be called upon to put out fires a lot. You definitely have to be a people person and you need to be able to think quickly on your feet to find answers to problems.

hamje32

@Mammmood - Judging from the article business service management seems to be tightly integrated with human resources. I can see that policies and procedures and employee motivation would fall under that umbrella.

Personally I think that employee motivation is the most challenging task. Everything else is administrative or organizational in nature, but with employee motivation, you are dealing with people and their egos and emotions.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed it, but employees can tend to be a cynical lot, and so motivation becomes especially challenging. I find that the best way to motivate employees is not through generic incentives, but to find out what the employees like and focus in on that. That may involve customizing your program but I think it works better in the end.

Mammmood

I think I should point out that the corporate services director is not the CEO of the company. Instead, the corporate services director is in charge of corporate services – things that impact the daily functioning of the company as the article points out.

This is an administrative leadership role over the whole company, not so much an executive role that defines what direction the company will be going. Not every company has this position; at least we didn’t have it in the last company I worked at.

It’s possible the responsibilities of the corporate services director can be parceled out among different management and administrative personnel who can work together to accomplish the same goals.

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    • A corporate services director is expected to interact with corporate partners, potential partners and others who have an impact on the corporate operation.
      By: Minerva Studio
      A corporate services director is expected to interact with corporate partners, potential partners and others who have an impact on the corporate operation.
    • Prospective corporate services directors need leadership abilities, excellent communication and decision-making skills, and the ability to work under pressure.
      By: auremar
      Prospective corporate services directors need leadership abilities, excellent communication and decision-making skills, and the ability to work under pressure.